The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to submit a comprehensive report on the recent ammonia gas leak from Coromandel International Limited in Ennore. During the hearing of a suo motu case on the incident, the Bench, consisting of Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati, included the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH), Tamil Nadu Maritime Board, and the Fisheries Department as respondents, seeking reports from them as well.
The Bench questioned the TNPCB about the regularity of safety inspections at Coromandel, a fertilizer manufacturing company, emphasizing the need for preventive measures against such mishaps. The gas leak, occurring on December 26, resulted from a drop in vapour pressure in pipelines during the pre-cooling process, leading to seepage of ammonia gas.
Concerns were raised about the possibility of leakage from storage tanks, and the Bench inquired about the impact on fish mortality due to the gas leak in the sea. The case has been adjourned to January 8 for further examination.