Pattali Makkal Katchi founder Anbumani Ramadoss on Tuesday urged the State government to either form a Commission headed by a retired judge of the Madras High Court to enquire into the oil spill in Ennore creek or transfer the case to the CBI to identify the organisations responsible for the spill and make them pay.
Addressing media during a free medical camp organised in Ennore by Pasumai Thayagam, affiliated to the PMK, Dr. Anbumani said it was possible that some organisations could have intentionally let out the oil waste by making use of the floods. “We have seen such incidents in the past from the tanneries around Vellore when there were floods in the Palar river,” he said.
Pointing out that the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) and a few other organisations were functioning in the area, he said he did not want to conclude that CPCL was the polluter, but there was a need to fix responsibility. He criticised the mitigation efforts taken up after the oil spill to address the adverse effects as being inefficient.
He said the total compensation of around ₹8.75 crore announced by the Tamil Nadu government for the families affected by the oil spill was “laughable”. Arguing that the environmental impact may affect the livelihood of the fishermen and other public in the area for another two years, he said the total compensation should be at least ₹ 500 crore, on a par with the funds announced for similar incidents across the globe.
Pointing out that the principle of “polluter pays” was being followed across the world during such incidents, he said the Tamil Nadu government should increase the compensation by making the company responsible for the pollution pay for it. He stressed the need for the Union government also to support in the mitigation and relief efforts.
