Polluter must & will pay: Jairam
The Centre on Tuesday assured compensation to those affected by the oil spill resulting from the collision of the two ships off Mumbai coast early this month maintaining that “polluter must pay” principle is being implied. “Polluter must pay and polluter will pay,” environment minister Jairam Ramesh told the Rajya Sabha in reply to a short duration question on the oil spill.
To a question whether the government would seek compensation under an international convention, Mr Ramesh said since India was not a signatory to the Bunkers Convention, such a recourse was not available. However, expeditious efforts were being made to become a party to the convention, he said, adding that it was essential for India to be a member of the Bunkers Convention for claiming damages since the ships which met with an accident were only dry vessels and not tankers.
Responding to concerns raised over loss of livelihood for fishermen following the incident, Mr Ramesh clarified that the ban on fishing in the area imposed till August 15 was not after the collision but because of the monsoon.
He said studies by different institutions have been commissioned for ascertaining the impact of the oil spill on the fishery sector and other economic losses. Mr Ramesh said the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board has asked the National Institute of Oceanography and the National Environment Engineering Research Institute to carry out comprehensive environmental impact assessment studies.
A separate study has been commissioned to know the oil spill impact on the fishery sector.
The studies, which would form the basis for assessing the compensation, are expected in about a month’s time, he said.
Asked by Bharatkumar Raut (Shiv Sena) whether it would be safe for Mumbaikers to eat fish, Mr Ramesh said: “It is safe to eat fish in Mumbai as long as it is not caught in polluted area,” he said, adding that fish was being brought to the city from other states.
Mr Rajiv Pratap Rudy (BJP) asked whether there was any designated agency that would seek compensation from the polluter. He cited the recent example of US making British Petroleum pay up $20 billion for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico whereas the insurance was only $460 million.
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