The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) had earlier roped in the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) to conduct the assessment, which is primarily required so that the government can fix a compensation amount to charge the owners based on damage caused. But, they have now approached the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI). “We were in talks with NIO and they even collected samples. But they couldn’t commit to our deadline of a month,” said Valsa Nair Singh, state environment secretary.