NGT slaps Rs 5 crore interim penalty on NLC over boiler blast

New Delhi

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said that independent verification of facts in the incident is necessary and the industrial unit is liable to pay interim compensation on the principle of ‘Absolute Liability’.

In the order passed on Wednesday, the tribunal said that an interim compensation of Rs 30 lakh be paid to each deceased pending final assessment. “Apart from compensating the heirs of the deceased, injured have also to be compensated. We determine interim compensation for seven injured have already been in hospital for about a week to be Rs 5 lakh each,” the bench said. The tribunal said that for those discharged, interim compensation is held to be Rs 1 lakh each.

“The industrial unit may deposit the amount of Rs 5 crore with the District Magistrate, Cuddalore, within two weeks to meet claim for compensation as ad hoc arrangement,” it said. The amount of interim compensation may be disbursed by transfer to the bank accounts of the heirs of the deceased and the injured, it said.

The NGT also constituted an independent committee comprising of the Central Pollution Control Board , TN Pollution Control Board, District Magistrate, Cuddalore, NEERI and IIT Chennai to visit the site and ascertain facts taking into account the version of the industrial unit and other stake holders.