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The Andhra Pradesh government announced a door-to-door survey in villages near LG Polymers India Ltd on Saturday to identify people affected by the styrene gas vapor leak that claimed 12 lives in the early hours of Thursday.
Two days later, on Saturday morning, hundreds of villagers staged a dharna at the plant with the bodies of the victims and demanded their immediate closure.
At the same time, LG Polymers apologized to those affected by the gas leak along with their condolences to the families of the deceased, and stated that normalcy had been restored at the plant.
“We would like to assure everyone that the company is committed to working closely with the competent authorities in India to investigate the cause of this incident, prevent future recurrence and ensure the basis for care and treatment,” a statement from the company said.
State industry minister Mekapati Gautam Reddy said the situation at the plant was under control and that normality would return to Visakhapatnam in another 48 hours. “We will conduct door-to-door surveys soon to identify affected people and provide them with all possible help. There is no need for people to panic, “he said.
In the morning, the tense situation prevailed at the LG Polymers plant in the R R Venkatapuram village, where hundreds of people from the surrounding villages organized a dharna demanding the immediate closure of the plant.
Several men and women tried to break into the facilities of the plant even when the State Police Director General, Gautam Sawang, was inspecting the storage tank from which the styrene gas leak occurred. They raised slogans such as “we want justice” and “they closed the company”.
The angry villagers stopped ambulances carrying the bodies of three victims from the King George Hospital morgue to their respective villages for cremation and kept them on the road outside the company gate to organize a dharna.
Also read: TDP criticizes YSRC for Vizag gas leak, accuses government of being lenient with LG Polymers
The protesters tried to catch the DGP as it was leaving the plant. A protesting woman fell to her feet demanding justice, but the police pushed her away. The DGP was escorted off the premises with strong police security.
“It has been two days since the cases against the administration of LG Polymers were filed. But no action has been taken against any of the company’s officials to date. We will not allow the company to operate under any circumstances, ”said an angry villager.
With the situation out of control, the police had to resort to lathi-charge to disperse them. They grouped dozens of protesters in vans and took them to the Gopalapatnam police station. But before long, many others gathered at the scene and the door slammed into the company’s facilities.
Visakhapatnam Police Commissioner R K Meena quickly intervened and, with the help of additional forces, managed to expel protesters from the company premises. The police also managed to transfer the bodies from the site to the village of Venkatapuram for cremation.
State Tourism Minister M. Srinivasa Rao and other YSR Congressional party leaders tried to convince angry villagers that the government would make efforts to remove LG Polymers from the scene.
“The government has appointed a high-power committee that would deepen the setback and take severe measures against the company. Please be patient with us, ”Srinivasa Rao appealed to the villagers with folded hands.
The DGP said the situation was absolutely under control. He said that more technical teams from the Ministry of Chemistry and Petroleum in Delhi would arrive later in the day to study the situation and suggest the way forward.
Sawang, who had a meeting with technical experts, scientists and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) special team, called on people not to rush back to their villages but to to remain in relief camps for another 48 hours, which was a mandatory period to restore normality according to the security protocol.
He said the high-powered committee would launch the investigation soon, and according to his report, actions against the company would be initiated. “There is no need for us to protect anyone. Depending on the progress of the case, we will 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 Thursday’s incident was the leakage of steam from the styrene monomer (SM) storage tank near the GPPS (Styrofoam of general use).
Also read: LG Polymers Says Steam Leak Caused Accident at Vizag Plant
The company said that while focusing on stabilizing the plant, the company was doing everything possible to support those affected by the incident.
A special task force has been established to solve problems and help victims and their families with medical supplies, household items and psychological counseling, according to the statement.
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