BJP State president Kanna Lakshminarayana demanded that stringent action should be taken against LG Polymers and government officials responsible for the gas leak in Visakhapatnam.
Mr. Lakshminarayana alleged that the ‘blatant violations’ of safety and environmental norms by the company and the gross negligence of the A.P. Pollution Control Board (APPCB), the factories and other government departments led to the tragic incident whose impact is bound to be long-lasting.
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy should, therefore, initiate penal action against all those responsible, he demanded.
In a letter to the Chief Minister on Monday, Mr. Lakshminarayana said the release of styrene vapours was due to the failure of government officials in inspecting and enforcing safety standards and negligence of LG Polymers.
He said the company could not be expected to be unaware of the fact that styrene has a tendency to self-polymerise at temperatures exceeding 20 degrees Celsius, whereas the temperature peaked to 153 degrees Celsius just short of the flashpoint of 154 degrees Celsius.
‘Serious lapses’
The BJP leader alleged that the company had never conducted mock safety drills and took the necessary protection measures. He said the APPCB had permitted expansion of the factory in spite of several litigations involving the land allotment. Besides, the National Green Tribunal observed that Rule 2 (e) read with entry 583 of Schedule I to the Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules, 1989 was not complied with. These rules require on-site and off-site emergency plans.
The registering of petty cases on the company officials was baffling and agonising as several lives were lost and a large number of innocent people fell seriously ill, Mr. Lakshminarayana added.