Vizag Gas Tragedy accountability: Will it see the same fate as these other tragedies?

On 7 May, the Vizag gas leak raised alarm across the nation. Eleven people were killed and at least 1000 people were directly exposed to a gas leak from LG Polymers plant in Visakhapatnam. 

So far, the National Green Tribunal has issued notices to the Centre, LG Polymers India Pvt, Central Pollution Control Board and others in addition to directing LG Polymers India Pvt to submit Rs 50 crore an interim amount for damage to life. 

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Here are a few other tragedies in the past, where the owners were not held accountable for the damage to life and were let out on bail. 

Bhopal gas tragedy

3000 deaths took place in the Bhopal Gas tragedy. In 1992, Warren Anderson was declared an absconder by the Bhopal Court. The government sought extradition in May 2003 which was rejected by the US in 2004. He eventually died unpunished in 2014. 

Uphaar Tragedy 

The Ansal brothers got relief in August 2015 by paying a fine of  Rs 30 crore for the death of 59 people in Uphaar cinemas. In 20 February this year, Supreme Court dismissed the curative petition filed by an association of the victims of the fire tragedy, sparing the Ansal brothers a further jail term.

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The Amri tragedy

11 years ago, a fire at Advanced Medical Research Ins­titute Hospital hospital in Calcutta caused the death of 94 people. The owners of the hospital were let off on bail.  

Sum hospital owner got away

In Odisha, in SUM Hospital and Institute of Medical Sciences, 21 people died in a fire tragedy in 2016. The well connected Manoj Ranjan Nayak who was the owner of the hospital was granted bail in 10 days. 

Surat fire tragedy

In 2019, the Surat fire tragedy cost 22 children their lives in a tuition centre. All the three accused were released on Rs 10,000 bail bond.

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