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Chandrababu Naidu demands action against Vizag chemical plant
In a letter written to Union minister for commerce and industry Piyush Goyal, TDP president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu wanted that the polymers plant be closed down immediately and a thorough inquiry be ordered into the gas leakage.
Telugu Desam Party, the main opposition in Andhra Pradesh, on Thursday demanded that the LG Polymers India Ltd at R R Venkatapuram in Visakhapatnam, from whose plant poisonous styrene gas got leaked killing 11 people, be shifted to outside of the city.
In a letter written to Union minister for commerce and industry Piyush Goyal, TDP president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu wanted that the polymers plant be closed down immediately and a thorough inquiry be ordered into the gas leakage.
“Subsequent to inquiry, it is necessary to shift the entire unit to Special Economic Zone (SEZ) that has no population in the vicinity,” he suggested.
He also asked Goyal to send medical experts to treat the victims of styrene gas, since there might not be required expertise in Visakhapatnam city, especially in the wake of spread of Covid-19 in the area.
Within hours of the tragedy striking the port city, Naidu, presently held up in Hyderabad due to lockdown, held a teleconference with his party colleagues in Visakhapatnam to take stock of the situation.
Naidu wrote a letter to P K Mishra, principal secretary in the office of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking permission to go to Visakhapatnam in a special flight to “monitor” the post-disaster activities and console the people affected by styrene gas leakage.
However, the TDP chief did not get permission from the Centre till evening. “We are awaiting clearance from the Centre. In all probability, he might fly to Visakhapatnam on Friday,” one of his personal staff members said.
TDP spokesman and politburo member Varla Ramaiah sought to know how the Jagan Mohan Reddy government had given no-objection certificate to LG Polymers to restart the operations of its plant at Visakhapatnam, though it did not fall into the category of essential goods.
“It is a plastic manufacturing company. Apparently, the company got the NOC with the influence of a ruling party leader who claims all rights over Visakhapatnam,” Ramaiah alleged.
TDP MP from Vijayawada Kesineni Srinivas demanded that cases should be booked against negligent officers of the industries department and industries minister Mekapati Gautam Reddy also. “I demand the resignation of the irresponsible Industries Minister,” he tweeted.
The YSR Congress leaders did not react to the demands and allegations of the TDP leaders. Industries minister did not take calls, despite repeated attempts.
