Nearly a month after arresting the top officials of LG Polymers, the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Tuesday granted to at least 12 people including LG Polymers CEO Sunke Jeyong, director DS Kim, additional director Mohan Rao and eight others officials.
The police had booked cases against the 12 top officials under Sections 278, 284, 285, 304, 337 and 338. Subsequently, they were taken into custody on July 7 for the gas leak.
The streyene gas leak occurred on May 7 in the early hours from the plant operated by L G Polymers at Venkatapuram village outside Visakhapatnam. At least 14 people died and hundreds hospitalised. Horrific scenes of people gasping for breath and falling like leaves in the street unfolded. Some fell off their bikes, some morning walkers collapsed inhaling the toxic fumes, children and women were found unconscious on the pavements.
The KGH hospital in Vizag had to grapple with a swarm of patients cramming hospital emergency rooms with more than two gas victims being treated in one bed. There were children everywhere, often two to three to a bed.
Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy had set up a high-power committee to probe the incident, and announced Rs 1 crore compensation to the kin of the deceased. On June 1, the NGT had ordered the South Korean company to deposit Rs 50 crore. The Supreme Court had put on hold, for 10 days, the disbursal of Rs 50 crore compensation by LG Polymers for the Vizag gas leak incident, as directed by the National Green Tribunal.
The high-power committee had submitted a 350-page report to Jagan nailing the LG Polymers for human negligence and security lapses. The committee headed by Forest Department Special Secretary Neerab Kumar, which had looked into various aspects that led to the gas leak, found fault with the management of LG Polymers for lack of proper safety response preparedness at the plant. The committee found that the gas leak occurred as the plant’s cooling system failed.
The report cited the lack of experience of LG Polymers India staff in monitoring and maintaining full tanks of styrene. There was a total breakdown on the part of the LG Polymers staff in handling the situation. There was insufficient knowledge of staff on styrene gas. There were poor safety protocols and poor safety management. The design of the styrene storage tanks was faulty, temperature monitoring and refrigeration systems had failed. There was no preparedness of the staff and officials to deal with the situation, the probe report stated.
