Imphal: Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh on Friday evening chaired a high level meeting to review the recent oil leak incident at Leimakhong.
The meeting, held at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, was attended by the Chief Secretary Dr Vineet Joshi, IIT faculties, Indian Coast Guard, and various department officials.
With the government’s swift response, the spill, which spreaded to the streams, has been effectively controlled. An expert team has been formed to investigate the incident and to conduct a comprehensive assessment of contamination and its impact on the surrounding areas. Additional security measures have also been taken up as well.
It may be mentioned that leakage of heavy fuel from Leimakhong Power Station was reported on 10th January, 2024, leading to spillover of the discharge along the stream passing through Kantosabal, Sekmai, and more.
An FIR has been registered and the area is also being sealed completely by deputing adequate security forces. The expert investigation team led by Ashutosh Sinha, ADGP (Int), Manipur was constituted to ascertain the cause of the incident.
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The other members of the team are Commissioner (Power) Shailesh Kumar Chourasia and Additional Secretary (Home) M Pradip Singh.
The expert investigation team will submit the findings within 15 days time to the state government.
According to a police official, after the theft and burglary at heavy fuel based power plant (HEBPP) and hydro power plant house at Leimakhong, the perpetrators had caused spillage of heavy oil, leading to an unceasing release of oil into the nearby river which has posed a significant threat to the public water supply by contaminating the river water and creating a hazardous environmental situation.
Also Read | Manipur’s Leimakhong power station leak: What we know so far