The Supreme Court on Monday asked Andhra Pradesh High Court to decide by the end of next week on three applications filed by LG Polymers seeking access to the Visakhapatnam plant, where a poisonous gas leak incident took place on May 7. The NGT had earlier directed Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary to identify and take appropriate action against people responsible for the failure of law in permitting the company to operate without statutory clearances.

A bench headed by Justice UU Lalit also said that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has the power to take suo motu cognizance of incidents that have implications on the environment. The apex court was hearing a plea filed by LG Polymers, challenging the NGT's order in its suo motu case constituting a monitoring committee to look into the Vizag gas leak tragedy case.
LG Polymers can also move the Andhra Pradesh High Court for the release of the passports of their directors currently deposited with authorities, the apex court said.

The company, in its plea, also sought directions to access the plant to ensure that it could respond to various committees that have been set up by different authorities concerned in the wake of May 7, 2020 incident, in which at least 11 people lost their lives. Senior lawyer and former attorney general Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for LG Polymers, said that the Collector had no reason to prevent two company personnel from entering the plant just because they were lawyers, even though the Supreme Court had earlier allowed the entry of 30 personnel into the plant.

Suo motu cognizance was taken by the Tribunal over the gas leak incident at LG Polymers chemical plant in Visakhapatnam, in which 11 people had lost their lives, and the damage was caused to the environment and habitat.

READ: Vizag gas leak: NGT orders action against those responsible for failure of law

High-power Committee Meets Affected Residents & Select Political Parties

Earlier on June 7, the High-power committee on LG Polymers gas leak incident met a select group of political party representatives and affected villagers at the municipal corporation building in Visakhapatnam. Protesting against the committee, Jana Sena Party workers staged a dharna as they were not allowed to meet the committee. This development came days after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Panel submitted a report pointing out 5 major lapses of LG management for the gas leak.

READ: Vizag Gas Leak: Andhra govt gives High Power Committee extension on report submission

Vizag Gas leak

Gas leaked from LG Polymers chemical plant in RR Venkatapuram village in Visakhapatnam in the early hours on May 8 and quickly spread to villages in a five-kilometre radius, killing at least 11 people and impacting about 1,000, many collapsing to the ground as they tried to escape the toxic vapours. Around 2,000 mt tonnes of chemical gas Styrene was leaked, according to sources. Among the dead were two children, aged six and nine, a first-year medical student and two people who fell into a well while fleeing the vapours from the plant, getting ready to reopen after the lockdown. Around 3,000 people were evacuated by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams from Imhachalam, Gopalapatnam, Vepagunta. 

READ: Vizag Gas leak: High-power committee meets affected residents & select political parties

READ: Vizag Gas Leak: Police arrests over 90 people for planning to protest at LG Polymers plant