TOTALLY AVOIDABLE GAS TRAGEDY
at Vizag intensely torments our hearts. If only a few basic, mandatory precautions were taken by the Government and the culprit company i.e. LG Polymers Ltd., the accident or at least its intensity could have been certainly avoided. This was not so calamitous, highly poisonous gas leak as in the shocking Bhopal Gas Tragedy of the 1980s and if the people could have been alerted by a siren before/even just after the gas leak almost all the lives lost could have been saved. But that a multinational company did not do so only points out to their reckless conduct and blatant violation of all environmental and pollution control norms too. The State Government also appears to be in cahoots with the corporates as evidenced by the Chief Minister himself arriving at Vizag, his camaraderie with the company management, assuring them of no harm, and declaring the same to the public too. What was needed was the immediate closure of the unit, sealing off the entire premises so that no evidence relating to this egregious human rights crime could disappear in any way. Instead we find the Government continuing their collusion, as they did in permitting its reopening during a lockdown, that too with no pollution control/public health officer taking the risks into concern and supervising, by now facilitating the shifting of Styrene tanks by shipping to their home country – a blatant erasure of evidence, and not even informing the National Green Tribunal, or the State High Court, which had taken suo motu cognizance of this tragedy. This editor had commented in social media on 7 May itself that “Like the Bhopal Gas Tragedy some decades back, today morning we hear of this Vizag Gas Tragedy and it seems these profit-oriented capitalists/corporations learn nothing. And the Governments do nothing to control them virtually. When a Chemical Factory is to be reopened, should not the govt take utmost precautions?” Later the irresponsible and dangerous conduct of the management in not blowing a siren even, on occurrence of the accident was decried. On 12 May this editor appealed to the people to not let any evidence disappear and demanded that not only the Company be closed down but also attached immediately and called for a thorough judicial inquiry into all aspects thereof. The same needs to be reiterated here with the hope that the National Green Tribunal and the High Court of AP would comprehensively consider about the accident and strictly punish the concerned culprits of the company, and also of the government, and reach full justice in the matter. §§§
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