A joint committee of National Green Tribunal (NGT), will monitor the environmental restoration in the village that has been affected by pollution from the Indian Oil Corporation Limiteds’ (IOCL) Panipat refinery.
The instructions were given in the latest orders by a NGT court headed by chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel relating to Satpal Singh’s petition filed against the IOCL refinery.
The orders mentioning violations of environmental norms at the refinery were based on reports submitted by a team that included the Central Pollution Control Board, Haryana State Pollution Control Board and Panipat, the deputy commissioner.
The matter having been properly investigated by an independent tribunal-appointed panel and remedial action taken and planned, it is appropriate to direct the joint commission comprising CPCB HSPCB and Panipat to monitor any further remedial action according to the above course.
The committee will also have the authority to address all surviving issues. Individual grievances can also be addressed by the committee. The HSPCB will serve as the nodal agency for coordination, compliance, and coordination. The action plan can be implemented according to the schedule.
S Naryanan, HSPCB secretary, said that the restoration plans prepared by the joint group were submitted before the NGT. The HSPCB regional office has requested transfer funds from the CPCB in order to implement the restoration plans. It will be done once the funds have been received.
The orders allow the committee to oversee progress in several areas, including groundwater quality restoration, safe drinking water supply to affected people, development green belts, rainwater harvesting and medical checks. They also have the power to develop necessary systems to prevent untreated waste from the drain.
The committee may submit a quarterly progress report to the chairman of CPCB, chief secretary. It will be posted on Panipat’s website.
The joint committee’s November 15, 2018 report found that the unit’s effluent treatment plant samples were not compliant. The ambient air quality was also exceeding norms. Even volatile organic compounds (VOCs), were causing irritation to the eyes and odour, which was noted by the joint team during inspection.
The report also noted that untreated effluent had been found to be discharged in green belt areas. It was also reported that the unit was not meeting the conditions for recycling and reusing treated waters and that groundwater samples were not compliant with the norms.
On May 19, 2019, the NGT recommended that the oil company deposit the initial assessment report of the joint commission. 17.31 crore to CPCB as interim compensation in order to restore the environment. In July 2020, the tribunal ordered IOCL officials deposit a sum equal to 17.31 crore. 25 crore as interim compensation to restore the environment.