Vizag Gas Leak: Andhra govt gives High Power Committee extension on report submission

The High Power Committee constituted to investigate the gas leak at LG Polymers plant Visakhapatnam has been given an extension till June 22 to submit its report, the Andhra Pradesh government announced on Tuesday, June 9. Four additional members have been nominated to the committee which was set up on May 8.

The committee, headed by Special Chief Secretary EFS&T Neerabh Kumar Prasad, will take stock of the recovery steps taken by LG Polymers in response to the gas leak.

The four technical experts from various Union Ministries nominated to the committee are - SK Nayak, Director General, Central Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology (CIPET); Bharat Kumar Sharma, Regional Director, CPCB; R K Elangovan, Director General, DGFASLI; and Anjan Ray, Director, IIP Dehradun.

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The high-power committee meets political parties

The High-power committee on Sunday met a select group of political party representatives and affected villagers at the municipal corporation building in Visakhapatnam. Protesting against the committee, Jana Sena Party workers staged a dharna as they were not allowed to meet the committee. The development came days after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Panel submitted a report pointing out 5 major lapses of LG management responsible for the gas leak.

READ | Vizag Gas Leak: High-power Committee Meets Affected Residents & Select Political Parties

NGT panel files report

The NGT report stated that there was insufficient tertiary Butyl Catechol concentration in a styrene tank, which is used as an inhibitor to avoid polymerisation at a lower temperature. It has further said that no monitoring system was at a place for dissolved oxygen, and the tank had no provision of monitoring temperatures at the top layers of the storage.

The report said that the refrigeration system was not being operated for 24 hours, and pointed out the 'gross human failure and negligence' of the person-in-charge of the plant. 

Styrene gas leak from the LG Polymers unit located at RR Venkatapuram village in Vishakapatnam, Andhra Pradesh caused the death of more than a dozen people on May 7.

READ | Vizag Gas Leak: Police Arrests Over 90 People For Planning To Protest At LG Polymers Plant

READ | Vizag Gas Leak: NGT Panel Submits Report; Highlights Massive Negligence Of LG Management

(With inputs from ANI)