LG Polymers plant seized following High Court directive

Visakhapatnam: Acting on the directive of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, the Vizag police and the officials of the revenue department seized the LG Polymers plant, located at R.R Venkatapuram in the city, on 25 May.

On 7 May, styrene gas leak from the plant had left 12 dead while hundreds of people who lived nearby had fallen sick.

The assistant commissioner of police (west zone), G. Swaroopa Rani, said the LG Polymers plant was seized on Monday in accordance with the High Court order. The officials probing the gas leak will have to write their names on a register at the main gate of the plant before entering the premises. The cops had been guarding the plant anticipating the surrounding villagers to vandalise it.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice G.K Maheswari and Justice Kanneganti Lalitha had issued interim orders to seize the plant and the directive had been uploaded on the court’s website on 24 May. It may be recalled that the court has taken suo moto cognizance of the Vizag gas leak and has heard two petitions filed on the incident.

The court had further directed the firm and state and Central governments to file an affidavit explaining who had given permission to ship styrene stock to South Korea and to reopen the plant after the lockdown norms were relaxed. If the company had not received permissions for the same, what action will the governments take? the court asked.

Over 13,000 tonnes of styrene monomer had been shipped from Vizag to South Korea after the tragedy.