The National Human Rights Commission on Thursday has issued notice to the Andhra Pradesh Government and the Central Government in the Styrene gas leakage case in Vizag District where according to media reports about eight people have died and five thousand others have fallen sick due to the gas leakage.
NHRC has taken suo moto cognisace of the case where it has observed that “prima facie there are no reports regarding human error or negligence but the fact that so far at least 8 innocent citizens have lost their lives and thousands have fallen sick, is indeed a serious issue of violation of human rights. Right to life of the victims has been grossly violated. At a time when the human lives across the country are at stake due to spread of Covid-19 virus and everyone is forced to stay indoor, the gruesome tragedy has come as bolt from the blue for the people. The gas leak has affected people within a radius of about 3 kilometers.”
The Commission has issued notice to the Chief Secretary, Government of Andhra Pradesh where it has sought a detailed report on the status of the rescue operation, medical treatment provided to the people fallen sick and relief and rehabilitation provided by the state authorities to the affected families.
A notice has also been issued to the Director General of Police, Andhra Pradesh to inform the Commission about registration of FIRs in the matter and status of the investigation being conducted within a period of four weeks.
The Commission has also issued notice to the Secretary, Union Ministry of Corporate affairs to examine whether the norms laid down under relevant provisions of the law are being implemented at the particular industrial unit and to submit a report to the Commission.
The Commission has directed the authorities to submit their responses within a period of four weeks. According to the media reports , the incident has occurred at a chemical plant at LG Polymers Industry at RR Venkatapuram near Naiduthota area of the district around 3.00 AM today on May 7.
An evacuation drive has reportedly been started by the police authorities and the District Collector is monitoring the situation. The NDRF and SDRF teams have also been deployed in the area as per media reports.
-India Legal Bureau