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Smoke rises from the LG Polymers plant, the site of a chemical gas leak, in Vishakhapatnam. The synthetic chemical styrene leaked from the industrial plant in southern India early Thursday, leaving people struggling to breathe and collapsing on the streets as they tried to flee. (Image: AP)
NGT President Judge Adarsh Kumar Goel created a 5-member committee to investigate Thursday’s gas leak incident at the chemical factory, in which 11 people died and 1,000 were exposed.
- PTI
- Last update: May 8, 2020 2:05 PM IST
The National Green Court imposed an interim penalty of Rs 50 million on LG Polymers India and sought a response from the Center and others on Friday in the gas leak incident in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, saying that “there appears to be a breach of what has been said ” Rules and other legal provisions. ”
A bank, headed by NGT President Judge Adarsh Kumar Goel, established a 5-member committee to investigate Thursday’s gas leak incident at the chemical factory, in which 11 people died and 1,000 were exposed, and they filed a report before May 18.
“Considering the prima facie material regarding the extent of the damage to life, public health and the environment, we order LG Polymers India Pvt Ltd to immediately deposit an initial amount of Rs 50 crore, with the Magistrate of the District, Vishakhapatnam, who will comply with new orders of this court. The amount is being set taking into account the financial value of the company and the extent of the damage caused, “the bank said.
The NGT issued notices to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, LG Polymers India, Andhra Pradesh State Pollution Control Board, Central Pollution Control Board, Vishakhapatnam District Magistrate and requested their response by May 18, next hearing date.
The committee is made up of former AP Superior Court Judge Judge B Seshasayana Reddy; V Rama Chandra Murthy, former vice chancellor of Andhra University, Vizag; Professor Pulipati King, Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering, Andhra University; CPCB Secretary Member, Director of the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology CSIR, and head of NEERI at Vizag.
The NGT directed Vishakhapatnam DM and the regional office of the State Pollution Control Board to provide logistical support to the committee to allow its investigation and factual reporting.
“The President, the CPCB may direct and facilitate the operation of the committee using available technology. The CPCB will bear the initial cost of operating the Committee to the extent necessary. The committee will be free to assist such experts, individuals and institutions. As deemed necessary, “the bank said.
The committee can visit and inspect the site as soon as possible and submit its report by May 18 by email, and the site visit may initially be made by locally available members in consideration of external online members, the NGT said.
The committee must present a report on the sequence of events, the causes of the failure and the persons and authorities responsible, the extent of the damage to life, among others.
The NGT said that styrene gas is a hazardous chemical as defined in Rule 2 (e) read with Entry 583 of Annex I to the Manufacturing, Storage and Import Rules for Hazardous Chemicals, 1989 and the Rules require Emergency in On-site and off-site Plans to ensure damage prevention.
“There appears to be a breach of these Rules and other legal provisions. The leakage of dangerous gas on such a scale as to adversely affect public health and the environment clearly attracts the principle of ‘Strict Liability’ against the company engaging in dangerous activities or inherently dangerous industry, “said the bank, adding that said entity is responsible for restoring the damage caused by the Environmental Law, in addition to other legal liability.
Statutory authorities responsible for authorizing and regulating such activities may also be responsible for their failures, the NGT said.
The matter was addressed in suo-motu (by itself) by NGT based on media reports that the dangerous gas leak, styrene, took place on May 7 from a chemical factory owned by the South Korean company LG Polymers India Pvt Ltd, RR Venkatpuram village, Pendurthy Mandal, Vishakhapatnam, with the death of 11 people.
A major early-morning chemical leak from a polymer plant near Visakhapatnam impacted villages within a five-kilometer radius, leaving many people dead and scores of citizens suffering from dyspnea and other problems, as the AP government ordered an investigation on the subject.
The leak was noted by company personnel who reportedly inspected the machines to restart the factory and raised the alarm.
Hours after the styrene gas leak around 2:30 am Thursday from the multinational LG Polymers plant in RR Venkatapuram, near here, dozens of unconscious people could be seen on the sidewalks, near ditches and on the road. , which raises fears of a major industrial disaster.
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