Vizag gas leak: Andhra HC orders seizure of company premises, directors to not leave India

In a major development, the Andhra Pradesh High Court, on Friday, ordered the seizure of the premises of the  LG Polymers company in Vizag after the gas leak which killed 12 and exposed over 1000, as per reports. A bench of Justice Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari and Lalitha Kanneganti has directed that no one will be allowed to enter the premises, disallowed the company's directors to leave India without leave. The National Green Tribunal (NGT)  has slapped a Rs 50 crores fine on the company and set up a 5-member committee to inspect the site and submit a report.

Vizag gas leak: SC refuses to interfere with NGT order directing LG Polymers to pay 50 cr

Andhra HC orders Seizure of LG polymers site

The court has also ordered that none of the assets, movable or immovable, fixture, machinery and contents shall be allowed to be shifted. While it has allowed the NGT-appointed committee to inspect the site, it has also disallowed release of surrendered passports of the Company Directors - who are not allowed to leave the nation. The court has also directed the state government to inform whether any permission was obtained to restart the company's operations - if not, an action report should be filed. The matter has now been listed to be taken up next on May 28.

Vizag Gas Leak: FIR registered against LG polymers for negligence after CM initiates probe

The Court has also reportedly noted that the Central and state governments have been silent on issues like:

• LG Polymers has been operating without a valid Environmental Clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC)
• Inhibitor concentration in storage tank not checked, malfunctioning refrigeration system, non-functioning siren/ alarm system.

Vizag Gas Leak: NGT issues notices to Centre, LG Polymers & more; company to park Rs 50 cr

Vizag Gas leak

12 people have been killed in a gas leak which occurred in the early hours of May 8 between 3 am and 4 am from LG Polymers chemical plant in RR Venkatapuram village in Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam. Around 3000 people have been evacuated by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams from Imhachalam, Gopalapatnam, Vepagunta. Around 2,000 mt tonnes of chemical gas Styrene was leaked, according to sources. 1000 people who have come in direct contact with the gas were treated in hospitals.

Andhra Pradesh Police discredits reports of second gas leak at LG Polymers in Vizag

The company - LG polymers have said that it has completed transportation of its entire inventory of deadly Styrene Monomer (SM) from Visakhapatnam to South Korea. CM Jagan Mohan Reddy announced an ex-gratia of Rs 1 crore for the deceased, Rs 10 lakh for seriously injured, Rs 1 lakh for those hospitalised, Rs 25000 for those who received first aid and Rs 10000 each for those affected in 5 villages close to 15000 people. An FIR too has been registered against LG Polymers industry for negligence.