Polluter must pay for Mumbai oil spill: Ramesh

The government on Tuesday made it clear that 'polluter must pay' for the environmental and maritime losses arising out of the collision of the two ships off Mumbai coast early this month.

"The polluter must pay and polluter will pay," Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said in reply to a short duration question on the oil spill resulting from the collision of vessels on August 7.

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.

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 fishery sector. The studies which would form the basis for assessing the compensation were expected in about a month's time. However, he insisted that it would be the polluter who would pay the damages.

Asked by Bharatkumar Raut (Shiv Sena) whether it would be safe for Mumbaikers to eat fish, Ramesh said he cannot testify at this moment if it was safe to eat fish caught in the Mumbai coast.

"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. He said that the ban on fishing in the area imposed till August 15 was not after the collision but because of the monsoon.

To a question whether the government would seek compensation under an international convention, the minister 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. It was essential for the country 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, he said.

Rajiv Pratap Rudy (BJP) asked whether there was any designated agency which would seek compensation from the polluter. He cited the recent example of US making British Petroleum pay up $20 billion (Rs 90,000 crore) for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico whereas the insurance was only $460 million.