PM gets report on chlorine gas leak from shipping minister

Union shipping minister GK Vasan has handed over a detailed report on the chlorine gas leakage to prime minister Manmohan Singh during the cabinet meeting on Thursday.

Following the gas leak on Wednesday, the Centre had directed the port to come up with a detailed report on the whereabouts of the chlorine cylinders. Confirming the submission of the report, a senior shipping ministry official said, “The two-page report was submitted to the prime minister. It said that chlorine was present in five cylinders, but the leakage was from one.”

“According to the report, the chlorine consignment had been lying there since April 2001. The company never took delivery of the consignment,” said the official.