Brushing aside allegations by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) that the State Government had given the necessary permissions to LG Polymers for expansion, Minister for Agriculture K Kannababu said that it was the Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP government which had given the Consent for Establishments (CFE) and Consent for Operations (CFO) to the company.
The Minister further alleged that instead of protecting Simhachalam lands, the TDP government had given the lands to the LG Polymers. Mr. Kannababu also alleged that he possesses information that TDP had put pressure on the A.P. Pollution Control Board to give permissions to the company at that time.
“Of the 162.74 acres, the TDP government denotified 128.24 acres in favour of LG Polymers in August 2015. Now, they are behaving as if they are not aware of it,” said Mr Kannababu.
The Minister said that Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is the only Chief Minister in the country to have announced such a large sum in financial help to people affected by the gas leak. “The TDP should also remember that within four days of the announcement, the YSRCP government handed over the cheques,” he said.
“The TDP should come forward for a debate with the YSRCP to discuss how their party reacted and provided compensation to the victims during any mishap. When there was a gas leak in East Godavari, Mr. Naidu had given ₹25 lakh to the victims. But that amount included ₹20 lakh from company and ₹2 lakh from the Central Government,” he said.
Refuting allegations that not all deceased families are being given compensation, the Minister said that the government has already given ₹1 crore each to eight families, while the other four families would receive it by Thursday morning.
“By Wednesday evening, 287 patients who were being treated at KGH were fit for discharge. We have handed over the cheques to the victims as announced by the Chief Minister,” he said.
The Minister also said that once the enumeration in the affected villages comes to an end, they would start another enumeration in the areas which surround LG Polymers to identify if there are any more affected people.
He also said that Mr. Jagan has asked them to go for permanent developments in the affected areas. “When we asked the locals what they need, they asked for roads and drinking water, which we will definitely consider,” he said. A 15-bed YSR Clinic will also be set up in the affected area, and it will have an outpatient facility, ambulance and dedicated doctors.
He also said that a huge quantity of styrene has already been sent to South Korea, while the remaining quantity would also be dispatched in the next few days.
“At present, six committees are functioning to deal with the issue and come up with solutions regarding the incident. Four teams have been inspecting 20 companies around Visakhapatnam to check safety measures. The YSRCP is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that locals are provided all help,” Mr Kannababu said.
MP V. Vijaya Sai Reddy said that Mr. Naidu’s only target is to make sure that Visakhapatnam does not become the Executive capital.
Tourism Minister M. Srinivasa Rao, Pendurthi MLA Adeep Raj and others were present.
