NEW DELHI: (AMN) The Ministry of Shipping has directed Mumbai Port Trust to conduct an enquiry into the incident of and has constituted a Committee to look into the circumstances leading to the poisonous gas leakage.
Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply to a question by Marotrao Sainuji Kowase.
He said that the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board has also issued directions to the Mumbai Port Trust under section to take immediate remedial measure to identify such types of unclaimed consignments, dispose of chlorine cylinders in a scientific manner under the supervision of experts and take adequate measures so that such incidents should not happen again.
100 empty cylinders and 5 cylinders with chlorine were stored in the Hazardous Goods Storage facility at Haji Bandar, Mumbai Port. One of the cylinders developed a leak in the early morning on July 14 and chlorine dissipated into the atmosphere affecting more than 100 persons living close to the port area. Action to seal/neutralize the leaking cylinder was completed by the noon of 14th July, 2010.