On the 7th of July, a committee appointed by the Central Government to investigate the LG Polymer gas leak incident, recommended to shift the factory.
On the 7th of May, a chemical gas was leaked from LG Polymers in a small village of Visakhapatnam. The incident claimed 12 lives and left 500 plus injured.
After an investigation for more than 2 months, the committee suggested LG Polymers to be shifted to somewhere away from human habitation.
According to the probe by the committee, the location of the factors within 3 km radius of several villages is dangerous for residents there.
Neerab Kumar Prasad, the Chairman of the High Power Committee (HPC) formed by the Indian Government said, “There was slackness on part of the Company with regard to safety measures. There were no proper preventive mechanisms to avert such incidents and the warning siren facility was also not in order. Non adherence of safety protocols, lack of timely emergency response measures, and negligence were found and we have provided suggestions.”
The HPC also said, “The company management had ignored the rise in polymer content from (the) 4th April 2020 and then the sharp rise on (the) 25th April 2020/ (the) 28th April 2020. The management considers polymer content as a quality measure for styrene rather than a safety measure.”
After a detailed investigation, the committee found 21 major flaws of the company and found LG Polymers guilty. Some of the major issues include bad storage, flaw in cooling system, design of tank, absence of circulation and mixing system, lack of knowledge of styrene, poor management and other lack of facilities.
The committee also submitted a 4,000 page report to the Central Government, regarding the matter.
The committee also suggested to register a first information report (FIR) against the Chairman and Managing Director of LG polymers.
Launched in 1961, LG Polymers, is among India’s leading manufacturers of polystyrene and expandable polystyrene. The plant located at Visakhapatnam, belongs to the Mumbai based LG Polymers India, which is also a part of the South Korean group named LG Chemical.
Stay tuned for further updates.
