National Green Tribunal, NGT today issued notice to Centre and Delhi government over chemical gas leak from Tughlaqabad container depot. It also asked Container Corporation of India why its Tughlaqabad unit be not shifted to some other place.
A bench headed by NGT chairperson Swatanter Kumar also appointed advocate Sanjay Upadhayay as amicus curiae in the matter. The tribunal took suo motu note of the matter after some lawyers informed the bench about Saturday’s gas spill.
Over 450 students and 9 teachers were admitted to hospital following complaints of eye irritation due to gas leakage in Tughlaqabad area of New Delhi from a nearby container depot this Saturday. Most of the students were discharged after a few hours but a few had to be kept under observation in ICUs. According to All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the chemical agent involved is likely to be chloro-methyl-pyridine, which is an eye and respiratory irritant.
Centre had constituted a five-member team of doctors headed by Dr Y K Gupta, head of department of pharmacology at AIIMS in New Delhi to look into the incident.
Delhi Police has registered an FIR in the matter under various sections of IPC and the Environment (Protection) Act. Delhi Government has asked the District Magistrate to investigate the matter.
