Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the President of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP,) on the 9th of May, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding Visakhapatnam gas leak victims.
In the letter, Mr. Naidu urged the Central Government to rope in the national and international experts for health assessment of those affected by the gas leak incident.
On the 7th of May, a chemical gas, identified as Styrene leaked from LG Polymers chemical plant in Visakhapatnam. It claimed 12 lives and left 400 seriously injured, who are currently admitted to hospitals and are undergoing treatment.
Mr. Naidu in his letter wrote, “The long lasting impact on the health of those undergoing treatment is of serious concern. It is apprehended that the toxins emitted may cause permanent damage to the victims.”
One of his suggestions to the health matter of the victims was close monitoring of the ambient air quality in and around Visakhapatnam city present and future impact.
TDP President Chandrababu Naidu also demanded a committee of scientific experts to probe the circumstances that led to the release of toxic gas.
He said, “The company claims that the gas leaked out was Styrene, however, there were conflicting reports of other toxic gases being in, (and) needs to be investigated to understand the enduring health impacts. “
Naidu also hailed the Prime Minister for his quick response and said, “The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has swung into action for neutralizing the toxic effects of the gas and further airlifting para tertiary butyl catechol (PTBC) from Gujarat has happened in quick succession with your prompt directions. I am so grateful on behalf of the people of Andhra Pradesh for your empathy and prompt action.”
On the 8th of May, Chandrababu Naidu criticised the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) for taking the matter lightly and demanded strict action against LG Polymers.
Meanwhile, an investigation under a high level committee against the matter is underway.
Stay tuned for further updates.
Source : IANS.
