Sachin GIDC mishap: Mumbai firm dumped waste to cut costs, finds NGT committee

The NGT had, in January, constituted a nine-member joint committee chaired by retired Justice BC Patel to ascertain causes and authorities responsible for the damage to life and environment, compensation to victims, restitution of the environment and the cost involved, and remedial measures to prevent recurrence.

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The committee found that between November 11, 2021 and December 31, 2021, five tankers of NaHS were disposed of “in flagrant violation” of the Hazardous Waste Management Rules. With respect to the Sachin GIDC mishap case, the technical committee was falsely informed that the hazardous waste was a byproduct that could be used as such, without any further treatment. It was shown to be incinerated. It was also claimed that the waste load was subsequently given for processing before the end use.

Six persons had suffocated to death and 23 others were hospitalised after inhaling toxic gas from the tanker vehicle that was illegally discharging chemical waste into the drain inside the Sachin GIDC area of Surat on January 6. The principal bench of NGT on January 10 had taken cognisance of the Indian Express report on the incident to initiate proceedings. The committee also found Hikal Ltd, which was dumping the waste in Gujarat from its Taloja unit in Maharashtra, had “no authorisation for disposal of such hazardous liquid through a third party”. It was also the duty of the company to take steps for safe disposal, sending or selling the hazardous waste to an authorised actual user of hazardous waste generated in its establishment or to dispose of it in an authorised disposal facility.

“In flagrant violation, the hazardous chemical NaHS is illegally disposed of and to make it a show that it is a sale, invoices were issued and the consignee was the Sangam Enviro who had no facility of any treatment or processing etc, moreover is not a textile or cement industry. Sangam Enviro has no consent from GPCB (Gujarat Pollution Control Board) and surprisingly, that was not known to the generator (Hikal Ltd)… The consignee has illegally disposed of all the tankers in Gujarat except one, which was caught by the police,” the report noted.

The committee has also recommended Rs 15.05 crore to be recovered from the company to be paid as damages. Additionally, it has also recommended that a total of Rs 2.40 crore be recovered from Hikal as compensation to be paid to the next of kin of the deceased and the victims, for payment incurred by GPCB to clean-up the contaminated liquid, and as payment to the state, which paid ex-gratia amount from its account to the families of the deceased.