Andhra gas leak victims seek closure of LG plant, minister promises justice

Vizag gas leak victims protested at the plant on Saturday morning with the bodies of three victims and demanded that the plant is shut down.

The Andhra Pradesh government on Saturday announced a door-to-door survey in the villages close to LG Polymers India Ltd to identify people affected by the leakage of Styrene gas vapour that claimed 12 lives in the wee hours of Thursday.

A minister in the Andhra government said the high-powered committee will probe possible lapses by the company and punish the culprits. (AP Photo)

Two days later on Saturday morning, hundreds of villagers staged a dharna at the plant with the bodies of the victims and demanded its immediate closure.

At the same time, LG Polymers tendered an apology to the people affected by the gas leak along with condolences to the families of the deceased and claimed that normalcy had now been restored at the plant.

“We would like to assure everyone that the company is committed to working closely with the concerned authorities in India to investigate the cause of this incident, prevent recurrence in the future, and secure the foundation for care and treatment,” a statement from the company said.

State industries minister Mekapati Gautam Reddy said situation in the plant was under control and normalcy would return to Visakhapatnam in another 48 hours. “We shall conduct door-to-door survey soon to identify the affected people and extend all possible help to them. There is no need for the people to get panicky,” he said.

Several men and women tried to barge into the plant premises even as state Director General of Police Gautam Sawang was inspecting the storage tank from where leakage of Styrene gas took place. They raised slogans like “we want justice,” and “close down the company.”

The irate villagers stopped ambulances carrying bodies of three victims from King George Hospital mortuary to their respective villages for cremation and kept them on the road in front the company gate to stage a dharna.

The protestors tried to gherao the DGP as he was coming out of the plant. A woman protester fell on his feet demanding justice, but she was pushed away by the women constables. The DGP was escorted out of the premises with heavy police security.

“It has been two days since the cases were booked against the management of LG Polymers. But no action was taken against any of the company officials till date. We shall not allow the company to run under any circumstances,” an angry villager said.

With the situation going out of hand, the police had to resort to lathi-charge to disperse them. They bundled scores of protesters into vans and took them away to the Gopalapatnam police station. But within no time, many others assembled at the spot and gate crashed into the company premises.

Visakhapatnam police commissioner R K Meena quickly intervened and with the help of additional forces, managed to force the protestors out of the company premises. The police also managed to shift the bodies from the spot to Venkatapuram village for the cremation.

State minister for tourism M Srinivasa Rao and other YSR Congress party leaders tried to convince the angry villagers saying that the government would make efforts to get LG Polymers shifted out of the place.

“The government has appointed a high-powered committee which would go deep into the mishap and take stern action against the company. Please bear with us,” Srinivasa Rao appealed to the villagers with folded hands.

The DGP said the situation was absolutely under control. He said more technical teams from chemical and petroleum ministry in Delhi would be arriving later in the day to study the situation and suggest the way forward.

Sawang, who had a meeting with technical experts, scientists and the special team from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), appealed to the people not to rush back to their villages but remain in relief camps for another 48 hours, which was mandatory period to restore normalcy as per the safety protocol.

He said the high-powered committee would take up the investigation soon and based on its report, action would be initiated against the company. “There is no need for us to protect anybody. Depending on the progress of the case, we shall invoke more sections of the Indian Penal Code against the company,” he said.

In a detailed statement, the LG Polymers said initial investigations, prima facie, suggested that the cause of the incident on Thursday was the leaking of vapour from the Styrene Monomer (SM) storage tank near the GPPS (General Purpose Poly Styrene) factory.

The company said that while focusing on stabilizing the plant, the firm was doing its best to support people affected by the incident.

A special task force has been set up to resolve issues and help victims and their families with medical supplies, household goods, and psychological counseling, the statement said.