Tragedy Strikes As INDIA Reopens

Vizag gas leak tragedy: Death toll rises to 12, NGT slaps ₹50 crore penalty on LG Polymers

• Police have filed a complaint against an LG Chem subsidiary over a toxic gas leak incident

• The National Green Tribunal slapped an interim penalty of ₹50 crore on LG Polymers

The death toll in Vizag gas leak tragedy rose to 12 today, the officials added. Over 300 people, including 48 children were admitted to the various hospitals in the city. Meanwhile, 20 of them were in a critical condition.

During the wee hours of Thursday, a toxic gas started leaking from a chemical plant of LG Polymers in the outskirts of Visakhapatnam. The city and the surrounding area were home to nearly six thousand people. "Hundreds of people have inhaled it and either fell unconscious or having breathing issues," Srijana Gummalla, Commissioner, Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation said on Twitter. Ambulances, fire engines and policemen immediately rushed to the chemical plant and evacuated people from the nearby villages. Styrene, the gas that leaked impacted thousands of villagers in the surrounding area.

Here are the latest updates of Vizag gas leak tragedy

1) A day after the tragic incident in Vishakapatnam that claimed 11 lives and impacted thousands of people, the National Green Tribunal slapped an interim penalty of ₹50 crore on LG Polymers for "damaging life, public health and environment."

2) Styrene, the gas that leaked, is an important commercial chemical, which is used in making make plastics, paints, synthetic rubber, insulation, fibreglass, pipes, automobile parts, food containers and disposal cups. Exposure to styrene, also known as ethenylbenzene, vinylbenzene can affect the central nervous system (CNS), causing headache, fatigue, weakness, and depression.

3) Police have filed a complaint against an LG Chem subsidiary over a toxic gas leak incident. The report, which precedes a full police investigation and potential charges, refers to negligent handling of poisonous substances and causing hurt and endangering public life due to negligence.

Other states like Madhya Pradesh have also initiated measures to dilute regulations.

Such exemptions are a clear violation of India’s fundamental rights, which guarantee the right to a safe environment for workers. The exemptions from labour and industrial laws reflect a reckless disdain for the lives and livelihoods of the labourers, who are already battling the distress caused by Covid-19.

Pushing for economic growth that ignores the conditions of the people who labour to produce that expansion reflects shallow, short-term thinking.