GPCB notices to GGCL, Essar

A GPCB officer, however, clarified that just because notices had been issued, it did not imply that either of the companies were responsible for the gas leak. “All it says is that they should brush up their operational efficiency to plug any chances of a leak”, he explained.

The identity of the gas continued to be elusive, with embarrassed GPCB officials saying it “could be ethyl mercaptan or some other gas”. All I can say is that the source is somewhere in Hazira”, a GPCB officer said, adding that they have been monitoring the situation for the past few days.

The board, has decided to arm the 13-member probe committee set up by District Collector R M Shah with mobile instruments. The panel — comprising a representative each of the very companies suspected to be leaking gas — has been sub-divided into five groups on the basis of their location; the city, too, has been divided into five zones.

On getting a complaint from a specific area the sub-group will deploy the mobile instrument, which sucks in some air. This will be tested at the GPCB office. This arrangement comes into force on Monday.