Vizag Gas leak: High-power committee meets affected residents & select political parties

In a major development, the High-power committee on LG Polymers gas leak incident 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. This development comes days after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Panel submitted a report pointing out 5 major lapses of LG management for the gas leak.

High-power committee meets political parties

Vizag Gas Leak: NGT panel submits report; highlights massive negligence of LG management

NGT panel files report

The report stated that there was insufficient tertiary Butyl Catechol concentration in styrene tank, which is used as an inhibitor to avoid polymerization 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 top layers of the storage. It also 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. 

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

Andhra HC orders Seizure of LG polymers site 

On May 24, the Andhra Pradesh High Court 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 from the court. 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.

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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. The National Green Tribunal (NGT)  has slapped a Rs 50 crores fine on the company and the Supreme Court has refused to interfere in the matter.

 

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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.