Blast at Hyderabad pharma unit: NGT issues notice to Ministry of Environment

New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal has sought a response from the Hyderabad regional office of the Union Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change and others on the blast at a pharmaceutical company in Hyderabad last month that left one dead and three others injured.

The green body was hearing a matter where it had taken suo motu (on its own) cognisance of a PTI report published on November 21 titled ‘One dead, three injured in reactor blast at pharma company in Hyderabad.’ In an order dated November 28, a bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava said, “The news item relates to a flash fire triggered by a reactor blast at a pharmaceutical company in Hyderabad, resulting in the death of one man and injuries caused to three others. As per the article, the incident occurred while the four workers were repairing the reactor.” The bench also comprising judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member A Senthil Vel said the news item did not indicate whether steps had been taken for payment of compensation to the victims.

The tribunal underlined that in its earlier verdicts, it had directed payment of compensation to the victims of similar boiler explosions.

“The above news item indicates a violation of the provisions of the Public Liability Insurance Act and the Environment (Protection) Act,” the tribunal said.

It impleaded as parties or respondents the MoEFCCs regional office in Hyderabad, the member secretaries of the CPCB and Telangana State Pollution Control Board and the district magistrate concerned.

“Issue notice to the above respondents for filing their response/reply before the southern zonal bench (in Chennai),” the tribunal said.

The matter has been posted on February 5 for further proceedings.