Won’t Allow LG Polymers Unit to Function as Before at the Same Location, Says Jagan Reddy

Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday indicated that LG Polymers plant at Visakhapatnam will not be allowed to function as it used to in the past even as he maintained that culprits responsible for the gas leak will be booked.

Speaking through video conference with officials and some of the victims, Reddy blamed the previous N Chandrababu

Naidu-led government for allegedly according permission to the company for expansion. "We will not spare anybody. Whoever is responsible for the incident,action will certainly be taken against them. Once we get reports from all the committees including those constituted by the centre, we will seek answers from the company. The answers will be examined by the experts," Jagan said.

As many as 12 people were killed when styrene vapours leaked from the LG Polymerss plant on May 7, while several hundred fell ill after inhaling the poisonous chemical at RR Venkatapuram near Visakhapatnam.

"Whatever action is recommended by the committees, those proceedings will be implemented transparently. We will not allow such a situation that the company will undertake the same activities at the same location in future. That is why that raw material Styrene has also been sent back," Reddy said.

LP Polymers in a statement on Monday said it successfully completed the transportation of the Styrene Monomer (SM) inventory within the plant as well as in the styrene tanks that were at the port.

"There is now no SM left at the LG Polymers plant in Vizag. Additionally, in collaboration with related institutions, we are devoting our resources to analyse the cause of the accident, prevent re-occurrence, and most importantly provide assistance to the families of the deceased and injured. Our immediate focus is to provide assistance to the people in the local area to help them continue with their normal lives as soon as possible," Jeong Sunkey, Managing Director of LG Polymers, said.

There had been an unequivocal demand from people of Venkatapuram and surrounding villages that the plant be completely shutdown as it posed a threat to their lives.

The state government has announced Rs one crore to the kin of the deceased as ex-gratia and different packages to victims depending on the severity of ailments.