Palghar: The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of the toxic oleum gas leak in Boisar in which around 2,600 people, including 1,600 school students, were evacuated. The gas leak took place at Bhageria Industries Limited, located at plot D-17 in the Boisar MIDC area in Palghar district, on March 2. No one was hurt in the incident.Authorities had said that the oleum gas leak originated from the level indicator glass of a 2 KL (2,000–2,500 litre capacity) day tank. Initially minor, the leak intensified and resulted in the release of dense fumes containing sulfur trioxide. The thick, fog-like fumes significantly reduced visibility on the factory premises and spread nearly 4-5km in the locality.Taking note of the incident, NHRC has issued a notice to the chief secretary of Maharashtra, seeking a detailed report within two weeks on the circumstances surrounding the gas leak and the measures taken by the administration.The NHRC press release, released on March 5, said: “The commission observed that if the media reports are accurate, the incident raises serious concerns regarding the violation of human rights, particularly relating to public safety and industrial hazards.” It also mentioned: “The NHRC has directed the Maharashtra government to submit details regarding the cause of the incident, the response measures taken, the impact on local residents, and steps proposed to prevent similar accidents in the future.“Police have already registered an FIR under relevant sections against the company management and are awaiting reports from the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) to further investigate the incident.
