Chandigarh: The Ludhiana police have formed a five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the Giaspura gas leak case. The probe team will probe the role of industrial units in the dumping of chemical waste in the sewerage line. Police suspect that some toxic chemicals must have been dumped into the manhole by some industrial units that led to the deaths.
Commissioner of Police Mandeep Singh Sidhu said the SIT will be headed by DCP (Investigation) Harmeet Singh Hundal and will include ADCP Suhail Qasim, ADCP Tushar Gupta, ACP and area SHO.
SIT will examine the system of disposal of industrial units and their chemicals. Questions will be raised on the role of the Punjab Pollution Control Board if chemical waste of an industrial unit is found falling in the sewerage line. If any officer is found guilty, action will also be taken against him.
Meanwhile, Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Surabhi Malik said samples have been collected from some factories and these samples will be mixed with the manhole samples of Giaspura. The report is expected by evening. Malik said that now the siege has been reduced from 250 meters to 25 meters after the level of hydrogen sulfide in the manhole has come down significantly.
PM announces compensation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today expressed grief over the 11 deaths due to an alleged poisonous gas leak in Punjab’s Ludhiana district and announced compensation for the families of the deceased and others. “Expressing grief over the loss of lives due to gas leak in Ludhiana, PM @narendramodi has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of each of the deceased and Rs 50,000-50,000 to each of those undergoing treatment from the PM’s Relief Fund,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a tweet.”