Visakhapatnam: The Gopalapatnam police in Visakhapatnam city filed a chargesheet against 12 persons representing LG Polymers R Venkatapuram in Visakhapatnam for the styrene gas leakage on May 7, 2020, which claimed the lives of 12 people and affected the health of dozens of people. The second ACM is yet to take cognizance of the chargesheet.
Explaining why it took more than four years to file the chargesheet, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone) A. Narasimha Murthy said the court had asked for dozens of documents to substantiate the charges.
The cases filed under Sections 278, 284, 285, 337, 338 and 304 (ii) of IPC against P. Chandra Mohan Rao (A1), K. Srinivas Kiran Kumar (A2), Managing Director Sunkey Jeong (A3) of South Korea, Dongsoo KIM (A4) South Korea, R Satyana Satyanarayana (A5), Ch Venkata Chandra Sekhar (A6), K Gowri Sankara Nagendra Ramu (A7), Muddu Rajesh (A8), Potnuru Balajee (A9), Silaparasetty Atchyut (A10), K Chakrapani (A11), K Venkata Narasimha Ramesh Patnaik (A12).
It may be recalled that on May 7, 2020, an uncontrolled styrene release occurred at LG Polymers, RR Venkatapuram, Visakhapatnam from one of the tanks, killing five people instantly. Subsequently, seven more persons succumbed to the consequences in the hospitals.
The AP High Court on December 7 last year allowed the South Korean company to move to Sri City on the basis of a recommendation by a high-level committee of the state government to allow LG to vacate its entire 213-acre project site at RR Venkatapuram in Pendurthi mandal in Visakhapatnam and use this land to promote green industries and shift its engineering plastics compound manufacturing activities elsewhere. Production is likely to start soon, sources said.
Former civil servant EAS Sharma and CPM leaders also filed cases in the National Green Tribunal, but the Tribunal heard the case taken up by its chairman on his own initiative.
The YSRC government paid a compensation of Rs 1 crore each to the families of the victims, but three families claimed that they have not yet received the money. They filed a case in the AP High Court seeking the money.
