Gas leak in Ludhiana: NGT has ordered compensation of ₹ 20 lakh for the family of 11 deceased

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Keywords: tribunal, gas leak accident, NGT

In light of a media report of death of 11 persons (including three minors), the matter was taken on its own by the Tribunal. The State Government has announced a compensation of 2 lakhs to the families of the deceased[1].

On Tuesday, the district magistrate of Ludhiana was directed to pay ₹20 lakh each to the each family of 11 persons who lost their lives in incident of gas leak on 30^th April, 2023 in Giaspur locality of Ludhiana. A group consisting of two justices, Sudhir Agarwal and Adarsh Kumar Goel, and an expert member, Prof. A Senthil Veil, have noted that victims of environmental law violations by both private and state entities have typically been awarded a compensation of ₹20 lakhs in case of death or injury. This observation was made in light of previous cases where such compensation was provided to victims.

Tribunal said that it has handled cases where people have suffered injuries or died as a result of environmental norms being violated by either state or private entities. The Tribunal has determined that victims of such incidents are typically entitled to compensation, with the standard rate for compensation being ₹20 lakhs in cases of death. In situations where individuals have suffered injuries, the compensation varies depending on the severity of the injuries[2].

The NGT says that the State must pay compensation without identifying identified private operators which are entitled to recovery from those who have been found guilty, and adds that they must be paid within a period of one month.

Moreover, the Court set up a joint investigation committee composed of eight members which will be chaired by the President of the Punjab State Pollution Control Board in light of media reports suggesting that hydrogen sulphide leakage caused the incident. It ordered that the Committee submit its report to the Tribunal no later than 30 June 2023.

In addition, it instructed the Ludhiana District Magistrate to make payment of compensation by a month’s time and deduct from that amount all amounts which have been paid[3].

Aditya a student of ILSR, GLA University, Mathura, 2^nd Semester, an intern under Legal Vidhiya

[1] BAR AND BENCH, https://www.barandbench.com/news/ludhiana-gas-leak-ngt-orders-20-lakhs-compensation-to-kin-of-11-deceased (last visited on 5^th May, 2023).

[2] ibid.

[3] ibid.

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