Tag: Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam Will Be Andhra Pradesh Capital, Says Jagan Mohan Reddy

The announcement may run into legal hurdles, as the Andhra Pradesh high court had ordered the government to develop Amaravati as the state capital.

New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday announced that Visakhapatnam will be his state’s new capital, continuing the controversy over his plans to alter his predecessor N. Chandrababu Naidu’s decision to establish Amaravati as the capital.

Addressing the preparatory meeting for the Global Investors Summit, which will be held in Visakhapatnam in March, Jagan said that his office will also be shifting to the coastal city in the months to come.

“Here I am to invite you to Visakhapatnam which will be our capital in the days to come. I will also be shifting to Visakhapatnam in the months to come,” he said at the International Diplomatic Alliance meet in Delhi.

The move may run into legal hurdles, as the Andhra Pradesh high court had ordered the YSR Congress party government to develop Amaravati as the state capital in March last year, as envisioned by the previous Telugu Desam Party government. The court rejected Jagan’s plan to have three capitals – Visakhapatnam (executive capital), Amaravati (legislative capital) and Kurnool (judicial capital). The government has challenged the decision before the Supreme Court.

The decision to “decentralise” Amaravati, located between Vijayawada and Guntur, as the capital was challenged in the high court by farmers who had parted with their lands for the city’s development.

Even before the judgment, the Jagan government in November 2021 repealed the laws that were passed to develop three capitals in Andhra Pradesh for the purpose of “decentralised development”. However, it had said that it plans to bring in a more “comprehensive legislation” to go ahead with the plan.

According to The News Minute, TDP spokesperson Pattabhi Ram said Jagan’s announcement goes against the high court’s judgment. “The case is sub judice before Supreme Court. It is due for hearing. In such a context, how can the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh make a statement on an issue which is sub judice?” he said.

Explainer: What Prompted Andhra Pradesh Govt to Repeal Laws on Three Capitals?

The YSR Congress government has made it clear that the repeal of laws does not necessarily mean moving away from its stated position of having multiple capitals.

New Delhi: Much like the surprise value attached to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s sudden decision to repeal three farm laws brought earlier by his government, the decision by the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy government in Andhra Pradesh to withdraw laws enabling three capitals in the state has evoked a similar sense of surprise.

However, the YSR Congress government has made it clear that the repeal of laws does not necessarily mean moving away from its stated position of having multiple capitals – or what it calls “decentralised development”. It had earlier proposed that the state would have three capitals: Visakhapatnam (executive capital), Amaravati (legislative capital) and Kurnool (judicial capital).

This was in effect overriding the previous N. Chandrababu Naidu government’s decision to have the state capital in Amaravati, located between Vijayawada and Guntur. Several farmers had parted with their lands in the region and the previous government had made a substantial investment towards the development of infrastructure.

Dhyana Buddha statute in Amaravati of Andhra Pradesh. Photo: Twitter.

Explaining the reasons for its latest move to repeal three-capital legislations, the YSR Congress government said it will soon bring a more “comprehensive legislation” after factoring in views of various stakeholders through a consultative process and by plugging in loopholes that could invite legal challenges.

In effect, the proposal to have multiple capitals is still on the table. However, the state government has not fixed any timeline for the enactment of this ‘new’ legislation.

What exactly is at stake?

On Monday, November 22, Andhra Pradesh finance minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy introduced the Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Repeal Bill, 2021 which was unanimously passed in the state legislative assembly.

With the enactment of the latest law, the AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Act 2020 and the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development (Repeal) Act 2020 – which were passed earlier to pave way for three capitals – stand repealed.

The statement of objects and reasons pertaining to the latest Bill (now law) mentions that the state government will hold consultations with all the stakeholders to take into account the aspirations of various regions of the state to ensure “decentralised development”.

Also read: Andhra Pradesh Assembly Moves to Repeal Three-Capital Law

It also notes that several complaints were made over the previous enactments (which have been repealed now), referring to over 100 petitions filed in the Andhra Pradesh high court over the YSR Congress government’s decision to stall capital development work in Amaravati, where the previous Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government had laid the foundation for the state capital.

The statement of objects and reasons relating to the Bill further notes that there are objections raised by certain members of the Andhra Pradesh State Legislative Council with respect to the referral to a Select Committee of the Bills which had earlier paved the way for the three-capital formula. Confusion prevails whether these earlier legislations have been approved by the Legislative Council or not.

The latest Bill (now law) therefore states:

“The Government intends to repeal the said Acts to enable further consultations with all the stakeholders once again and to present a suitable legislation in future addressing all the concerns of all the regions of the State favouring decentralisation. And whereas while the matters stood thus, to vividly explain all the good intentions of the Government in relation to decentralized development of all the regions including by providing multiple capitals, to improve the framework and provisions of law in this regard, to fulfil the aspirations of the people of all the regions of the State and to bring forward suitable legislations to achieve the above stated objectives of decentralized development, it has been decided to the repeal the said Enactments.”

During the discussion on the matter in the legislative assembly, chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy said that his government was against making a “historic blunder” of building a super capital in Amaravati with scant regard to aspirations of people from other regions of the state.

He further added that the state would incur Rs 1 lakh crore just to create “basic infrastructure”, like roads, electricity and sewage system, in Amaravati if it were to go ahead with the plan to develop a megacity in Amaravati. He wondered how Andhra Pradesh with a massive fiscal deficit could afford such a costly project.

Instead, he said Visakhapatnam, which already has good infrastructure, can be developed into a vibrant executive capital with a little support from the state government and expect it to compete with other metros like Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru in about a decade. Whereas in the case of Amaravati, he said, which is located neither in Vijayawada or Guntur, there are no infrastructure facilities and building a “world-class capital” would mean huge cost to the state exchequer.

The chief minister also pointed out that the previous TDP government by floating Amaravati as capital had paid no heed to the recommendations of the Srikrishna and Sivaramakrishnan Committees both of which vouched for “distributed development”.

He also clarified that the people of Amaravati would not be deprived of any development as his government had already decided to make it a legislative capital.

Legal and political challenges 

For over two years farmers from Amaravati (about 29 villages), who had parted with their lands, have been staging protests against the trifurcation of the state capital. The previous TDP government had procured 33,000 acres of land through land pooling for the development of Amaravati. The protests, which have the backing of opposition parties in the state, entered their 706th day on Monday, November 22.

Amaravati farmers protesting against three capitals proposal mooted by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy government. Photo: Facebook.

Over 100 petitions have been filed against the YSR Congress government in the Andhra Pradesh high court challenging the three-capital proposal. Most of these petitions have been moved by protesting Amaravati farmers who came together under Amaravati Joint Action Committee.

The court had recently begun hearing the batch of petitions while announcing that it would take up the matter on a daily basis.

According to political observers in the state, the cautious YSR Congress government expecting headwinds in the court has decided to rescind the two laws, which allowed for trifurcation of the state capital, before it is too late. In the event of the high court ruling in the favour of farmers and the Supreme Court upholding it, it is perceived that the state government may not have many options but to fall in line with the directives from the court.

There are reasons why the YSR Congress government expects that the courts’ ruling could go against it.

First, there is confusion over whether or not the two Bills (which later became laws and now stand repealed) were referred to the Select Committee after they were introduced in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council in early 2020. While the chairman of the Council and TDP maintain that the Bills had been referred to the Select Committee for review, the ruling YSR Congress hold a view that the Bills were not referred to the Select Committee, and thereafter they had been approved by the Council. Confusion over this matter prevails to this date.

Although the court cannot dictate as to where the capital of Andhra Pradesh should be, for it is the prerogative of the state government, the court may well set aside the said two laws on grounds that due procedure has not been followed.

Also read: Andhra Pradesh: Dispelling Some Myths About Amaravati and the Three Capitals Project

According to legal experts, another reason that could possibly go against the YSR Congress government in the court is that it is violating the doctrine of legitimate expectations. This, in effect, means the current government is reneging on the promises made to Amaravati farmers by law by the previous TDP government when they had parted with their lands for capital development.

On the other hand, building a capital city for truncated Andhra Pradesh, after the formation of Telangana in 2014, has become a matter of political contestation between TDP and the YSR Congress. Although Jagan Mohan Reddy as opposition leader had promised that would continue to develop Amaravati as capital if he assumed power, he has changed his stance since he became chief minister in 2019. Consequently, YSR Congress has faced opposition from farmers in Amaravati, as farmers have been protesting for over two years.

At the heart of political contestation, according to political observers, is YSR Congress and Jagan Mohan Reddy do not want Naidu to take credit for building a capital city for the truncated state of Andhra Pradesh.

Meanwhile, the repeal of laws relating to three capitals has now given an opportunity to TDP to hit out at the Jagan Mohan Reddy government.

Claiming that the YSR Congress government is acting without any commitment or responsibility towards the state development, TDP leader and Chandrababu Naidu’s son Nara Lokesh alleged that Jagan’s government was “spreading lies” and “playing mind games” with the people of the state.

For its part, the state BJP said the YSR Congress government backed off from its three-capital proposal fearing adverse ruling from the high court. State BJP unit Somu Veerraju asked the government to reach out to all political parties and the public at large on the matter before arriving at any decision on the state capital.

Andhra Pradesh Assembly Moves to Repeal Three-Capital Law

The Act was challenged by farmers of the Amaravati region and the matter is being heard in the high court. Protests against the move have continued for over two years now.

New Delhi: The Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly on Monday, November 22, passed a Bill to repeal the controversial AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Act, 2020, that was intended to establish three capitals for the state.

Reports have said that the Andhra Pradesh Advocate General Subrahmanyam Sriram informed the high court about the decision as well.

The earlier Chandrababu Naidu government in Andhra Pradesh had put forward a proposal to develop Amaravati as the state capital, which the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy government had stalled, instead announcing that the government would have three capitals – an executive capital in Visakhapatnam, a legislative capital in Amaravati and a judicial capital in Kurnool.

The Act was challenged by farmers of the Amaravati region and the matter is being heard now in the high court. Protests against the move have continued for over two years now.

Also read | Andhra Pradesh: What Explains Jagan’s Decision to Have Three Capitals

LiveLaw has reported that in earlier hearings, senior advocate Shyam Divan had argued on behalf of farmers that around 33,000 households in Amaravati “had given up their land for capital development” and were left with no sustainable means of livelihood.

Divan had also argued that the power to delineate a capital city belongs to the parliament under Article 3 and 4 of the constitution.

The now-repealed Bill had provided for dividing the state into various zones and establishing zonal planning and development boards. The village and (municipal) ward secretariats system that the government brought in October last year now gets statutory backing as it had been made part of the Bill, passed early this year amidst fervent protests.

The Decentralisation Act brought by the Jagan government had also been blocked in the upper house of the state legislature by Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party and referred to a select committee for scrutiny. The lower house of the assembly then passed a  resolution urging the Union government to abolish the upper house, The News Minute has reported.

“Our intention of a decentralised development of the state has been twisted, distorted and a misinformation launched. Also, legal hurdles were created and court cases filed,” CM Jagan alleged, without mentioning the challenge to the Act in the court.

Jagan said the government would explain its “genuine intention and the need for decentralisation” to all concerned and incorporate necessary changes in a new Bill.

Jagan added that the new Bill will be “comprehensive, complete and better”.

The Jagan government’s move to rollback a law protested against heavily by especially farmers comes three days after the Union government announced the decision to repeal the three controversial farm laws after yearlong protests against them at Delhi’s borders.

(With PTI inputs)

Vizag Gas Leak: Andhra Pradesh Govt Informs NHRC Ex Gratia Paid to Families of Victims

The government has informed the NHRC that an ex gratia of Rs 1 crore each has been paid to the families of the 12 people who died in the styrene gas leak tragedy.

New Delhi: The Andhra Pradesh government has informed the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) that an ex gratia of Rs 1 crore each has been paid to the families of the 12 people who died in the styrene gas leak tragedy in Visakhapatnam last May, officials said on Friday.

The NHRC had taken suo motu cognisance of media reports about the death of several persons and over 5,000 others falling sick due to leakage of styrene gas in the district on May 7, 2020, they said.

“The NHRC has accepted the action taken by the concerned authorities and the ex gratia of Rs 1 crore each paid to the families of the 12 people who died in the tragic incident,” the rights panel said in a statement.

Also read: Vizag Gas Leak: LG Polymers CEO and 11 Others Arrested

“The government of Andhra Pradesh has informed the Commission that 485 people were paid Rs 1 lakh each, who were hospitalised for two-three days. It has also informed that criminal proceedings were initiated against the 12 accused,” the statement said.

The leakage of the gas had reportedly affected people within a radius of about 3 km. Many people were reported to be lying on roads while some had complained of difficulty in breathing and rashes on their bodies, it added.

Gas Leak In Andhra Unit Due To Operational Negligence, Says NGT

The NGT bench also directed that safety audit be conducted of the entire pharma city in Visakhapatnam where such units are located and also at all other locations in the state.

New Delhi The NGT, held on Tuesday, said that the gas leak in an Andhra Pradesh unit in which two people were killed, was due to operational negligence and asked the state’s director of industries to conduct safety audit of the pharma city at Vishakhapatnam and other such locations.

A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel held that the cause of Benzimidazole gas leakage at Sainor Life Sciences factory at Parwada industrial area was operational negligence of the management and its employees.

There were serious lapses in not following standard safety norms under the said rules requiring onsite and offsite emergency plans, conducting mock drills every six months and undertaking manufacture of Benzimidazole without consent. The plea that Benzimidazole was not final product but for use in the manufacture of Omeprazole did not justify doing so without consent, the bench said.

Also read: Vizag Gas Leak: LG Polymers Operated Without Appropriate Environment Clearance

The green panel agreed with the state pollution control board (SPCB) and the Committee of experts that separate consent is required for manufacturing Benzimidazole, being an independent compound.

The tribunal accepted the report filed by the committee and disposed of the proceedings with a direction to comply with the recommendations, including the ones on payment of environmental compensation, to be overseen by the statutory regulators.

“We also direct the Director of Industries, Andhra Pradesh to conduct safety audit of entire pharma city in Visakhapatnam where such units are located and also at all other locations in the State at the earliest,” the bench said.

The committee told the NGT that operational negligence, lack of standard operating procedure for transfer of material from one reactor to another and on cleaning of reactors, lack of awareness of personnel, non-compliance of safety practices by employees were the causes of incident.

Two workers were killed and four hospitalised in June this year, after Benzimidazole the gas leaked at Sainor Life Sciences factory in Parwada area in Visakhapatnam.

Andhra Pradesh: Capital Relocation Poses Threat to Buddhist Heritage Sites in Vizag

Even as the three capitals project faces legal hurdles, heritage activists and Buddhists say the construction of a guesthouse near Thotlakonda poses a threat to cultural heritage sites.

Vijayawada: Regardless of legal challenges, the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy government in Andhra Pradesh is keen to relocate the executive capital to Visakhapatnam as part of its agenda to create three capitals. But activists fear that the relocation and the prospect of rapid urbanisation may pose a serious threat to the steel city’s heritage sites.

This anxiety is visible in the spate of protests by heritage activists and Buddhists against the government’s plan to build a state guesthouse on 30 acres of land close to a Heenayana Buddhist complex. The protesters said the construction of guesthouse so close to the Thotlakonda Buddhist Complex risks damaging the 2,000-year-old heritage site.

After facing several hurdles, the YSR Congress government’s plan to distribute the capitals got an impetus when governor Biswabhusan Harichandan cleared the relevant Bills.

Though the government’s plan was to shift the executive capital to Visakhapatnam on Vijayadasami (October 25) in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they were thwarted after the high court ordered status quo to be maintained at least until September 21.

The court gave this direction after a group of farmers in Amaravati challenged the government’s three capitals plan. The opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has accused the government of subverting the high court’s orders, saying it is trying to shift the capital to Visakhapatnam through the backdoor. The construction of the guesthouse is part of such “covert” plans, the party claims.

The state government has issued a government order (GO) directing the district administration to acquire 30 acres of land adjacent to heritage sites in the Kapuluppada village on the city suburbs for the construction of a guesthouse and quarters for government personnel.

Subsequently, the government ignored the protests and laid the foundation stone for the guesthouse ahead of its avowed mission to make Visakhapatnam a seat of power with a provision for the Chief Minister’s Office, secretariat and the other paraphernalia that comes with the capital.

Panoramic view of Thotlakonda monastic complex near Vizag. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/ Adityamadhav83 CC BY SA 3.0

Significance of Thotlakonda Buddhist complex

The Thotlakonda Buddhist complex, spread over nearly 48 hectares on a hill overlooking the Bay of Bengal, some 15 km from Visakhapatnam, is believed to have flourished between the second century BCE and the second century CE.

Thotlakonda emerged alongside the other Buddhist complexes, such as Bavikonda and Pavurallakonda. The Buddhist relics fell within the influence of the ancient region of Kalinga, which played a pivotal role in disseminating Buddhism within India and also to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asian regions. Buddhist monks from across Asia were believed to have travelled to Thotlakonda to study and practice Buddhism.

Tourism minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao told the media that the proposed government guesthouse, which would occupy a 12-hectare site on the Greyhounds Hill, would not pose any threat to Thotlakonda or the nearby Bavikonda archaeological sites.

The minister brushed aside the apprehensions of heritage activists, who say the planned compound with the guesthouse is just one kilometre away from Thotlakonda. He said the project is not located on any heritage sites and will not pose any threat to them. “Our government is committed to the protection of heritage sites,” he told the New Indian Express.

Andhra Pradesh tourism minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao with chief minsiter Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy. Photo: Twitter/@AvanthiSrinivas

But the protesters rejected the minister’s contention. V.S. Krishna and K. Sudha of the Human Rights Forum said the GO pertained to land acquisition for the guesthouse is in plain violation of the Andhra Pradesh Ancient Historical Monuments, Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1960. The piece of land acquired for the guesthouse falls under the survey No. 314 of Kapuluppada village and it was expressly protected by the Act, they observed.

Quoting studies, Krishna said archaeological remains are contained across several hills in the area and there are over 120 micro and unexplored sites around Thotlakonda. Because of constructions proposed by the government, as yet undiscovered cultural heritage may be in danger of being wiped out, he feared.

 Glorious past

The word Thotlakonda in Telugu is derived from the rock-cut water cisterns found in the local bedrock. Since the discovery of the site in 1976, it has been declared a protected monument by the state government. Notable excavations at the site include a maha stupa, a stone pillared congregation hall, three circular prayer halls, 10 viharas, a kitchen complex, and a refectory. Silver Roman coins and other evidence of international commerce have also been found at the site. The maha stupa partially collapsed due to heavy rains that battered the city in October 2019. It was later reconstructed with government funds.

Maha stupa at Thotlakonda in Vizag. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/iMahesh CC BY SA 4.0

Kothapalli Venkataramana of the Buddhist Society highlighted the need for maintaining a buffer zone around the Buddhist complexes on Thotlakonda, Bavikonda and Pavuralakonda with a blanket ban on construction of all sorts in the buffer zone. Citing an Andhra Pradesh high court judgment delivered in November 2016, Venkataramana contended that the construction of the guesthouse amounted to contempt of court.

The survey No 314 of Kapuluppada village reveals the fact that the area protected under the Ancient and Historical Monuments, Archaeological Sites and Remains Act is, in fact, is spread over 33,000 acres on a cluster of hills. But successive governments, Venkataramana alleged, have fudged revenue records to downsize the extent to a few hundred acres, resulting in the alienation of vast lands with Buddhist sites.

Activists also accuse the district revenue authorities of fabricating fictitious survey numbers within the old survey number (314-old) to hide Buddhist sites. This, Rani Sarma, the former president of the Visakhapatnam branch of Indian National Trust for Art and Culture, says was done as part of a move to legitimise the state-sponsored grabbing of lands that fall under heritage sites.

Activists say that over a period of three decades, successive governments facilitated the alienation of lands in the area, either for its own utilities or for private usage. The previous TDP government headed by N. Chandrababu Naidu allotted 15 acres in area for the Film Nagar Cultural Club and 300 acres for Greyhounds, the state’s elite police force.

“Capital or no capital, threats continue to loom over heritage sites in Visakhapatnam for the past three decades and we are struggling to protect them,” says Rani Sarma.

Visakhapatnam: 11 Dead as Crane Collapses at Hindustan Shipyard

Officials were in the process of inspecting it when it collapsed, say reports.

New Delhi: Eleven people were killed on Saturday afternoon after a rail-mounted crane collapsed at the Hindustan Shipyard Limited worksite at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

The crane weighed 75 tonnes.

Four of the victims were employees of HSL while the rest belonged to a contracting agency, District Collector Vinay Chand was quoted by PTI as having said.

According to a report on Indian Express, the crane had been repaired recently. Officials were in the process of inspecting it when it collapsed. Several people still remain trapped underneath as fire services work to extricate bodies.


The injured have been taken to local treatment centres.

Visakhapatnam police commissioner R.K. Meena has arrived at the spot, according to Mumbai Mirror. Meena told PTI that the accident occurred when the crane was being erected.

Officials are verifying the attendance records to ascertain who was at the site, said Mirror.

Note: This is a developing story.

Vizag Gas Leak: LG Polymers CEO and 11 Others Arrested

Additionally, the Pollution Control Board suspended three of its officials for “gross negligence.”

Amaravati: On Tuesday night, police arrested the CEO of LG Polymers, its two directors, and nine other company officials for their involvement in the May 7 styrene vapour leak incident at Visakhapatnam, where 12 people were killed and 585 fell sick.

Additionally, the Pollution Control Board suspended three of its officials for “gross negligence.”

Visakhapatnam Commissioner of Police R.K. Meena told PTI that LG Polymers Managing Director and CEO Sunkey Jeong, Technical Director D.S. Kim and Operations Additional Director P. Purnachandra Mohan Rao were arrested, along with nine other staffers of the firm.

“Investigation disclosed that the incident at M6 styrene storage tank took place due to the negligence of these persons, who also have knowledge that their acts were likely to cause death,” the Commissioner of Police said.

He added that the case was still under investigation since reports from various departments are yet to be obtained and witnesses examined.

The Gopalapatnam police under Visakhapatnam Police Commissionerate registered a case on May 7 against LG Polymers at R R Venkatapuram, under various IPC Sections, including 278 [making atmosphere noxious to health].

Exactly two months later the alleged culprits were arrested.

On May 7, 12 people died and 585 fell sick due to the styrene vapour leak at R R Venkatapuram and surrounding villages near Visakhapatnam.

The High Powered Committee (HPC), appointed by the state government to probe the vapour leak, submitted its report to Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday. The Committee highlighted multiple inadequacies on the part of LG and the negligence of the management over safety protocols. The report mentioned a total breakdown of the emergency response procedures in the plant that resulted in the grave tragedy.

Additionally, it pointed out that the incompetent oversight by different government departments, primarily the Directorate of Factories, contributed to the tragedy.

Based on the HPC report, the Pollution Control Board suspended its Environmental Engineers P Prasada Rao [regional office] and R Lakshmi Narayana [zonal office] for their gross negligence in allowing the operation and expansion of LG Polymers without environmental clearance.

The Director of Factories suspended the Deputy Chief Inspector of Factories K B S Prasad for failing to enforce the Factories Act and other rules in LG Polymers.

Vizag Gas Leak: LG Polymers India has Absolute Liability, Says NGT

It also directed the state chief secretary to take appropriate action against the people responsible for the failure of law in permitting the company to operate without statutory clearances.

New Delhi: The South Korean company LG Polymers India has absolute liability for the loss of life and public health in the gas leak incident at its plant in Visakhapatnam, the NGT said on June 3, while directing that the interim penalty of Rs 50 crore would be spent on compensation to the victims and the restoration of the environment.

The National Green Tribunal directed that a restoration plan be prepared by a committee comprising two representatives each of the Environment Ministry and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and three representatives of Andhra Pradesh government.

The NGT also junked the company’s plea seeking review of its May 8 order slapping on it the Rs 50 crore interim penalty saying that it is justified in taking suo motu cognisance of the matter.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said that final calculation of compensation may be assessed by a committee comprising representatives of Ministry of Environment Ministry, CPCB and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute.

“The committee will be at liberty to associate/co-opt any other expert institution or individual. The Secretary, MoEF may ensure the constitution of such committee within two weeks… The Committee may give its report within two months thereafter,” the bench, also comprising of Justice Sheo Kumar Singh, said.

It also directed the Andhra Pradesh chief secretary to identify and take appropriate action against the people responsible for the failure of law in permitting the company to operate without statutory clearances within two months and give a report.

Also read: Vizag Gas Leak: Why the NGT Should Have Applied Absolute, Not Strict, Liability

“In view of the stand of the state pollution control board and the company that it will not recommence its operation without requisite statutory clearances, we direct that if any such statutory clearances are granted and the Company proposes to recommence, this aspect must be brought to the notice of this tribunal so that compliance of law is ensured,” the bench said in its June 1 order uploaded today.

The NGT asked MoEF to constitute an expert committee to suggest ways and means to revamp monitoring mechanism to check and prevent violation of environmental norms and preventing any such recurrence in future in any of the establishments dealing with hazardous chemicals.

“A special drive may be initiated in this regard. An action taken report may be furnished within three months. This order will not prejudice any criminal or other statutory proceedings in accordance with the law,” the bench said.

The NGT said that the safety of citizens and environment is of prime concern and any economic or industrial activity, however necessary, has to be consistent with the safety of human beings and the environment.

“The damage to human life, human health and environment has to be restored by applying the ‘Sustainable Development’ principle, of which ‘Precautionary’ and ‘Polluter Pays’ principles are part,” the bench said.

The NGT on May 8 sought response from the Centre and others saying ‘there appears to be a failure to comply with the said Rules and other statutory provisions’.

It had set up a five-member Committee to probe gas leak incident in the chemical factory, in which at least 11 people were killed and 1,000 exposed.

Also read: Vizag Gas Leak: LG Polymers Operated Without Appropriate Environment Clearance

The matter was taken up suo-motu (on its own) by NGT on the basis of media reports to the effect that leakage of hazardous gas, Styrene, took place on May 7 from a chemical factory owned by the South Korean company LG Polymers India Pvt Ltd, R.R. Venkatpuram village, Pendurthy Mandal, Vishakhapatnam resulting in the death of 11 people.

A major early morning chemical leak from a polymer plant near Visakhapatnam impacted villages in a five-km radius, leaving many people dead and scores of citizens suffering from breathlessness and other problems, as the AP government ordered a probe into the issue.

The leak was noticed by company staff who were reportedly inspecting machines to restart the factory and raised an alarm.

Hours after the styrene gas leak from the multinational L G Polymers Plant at R R Venkatapuram village near here, scores of people could be seen lying unconscious on sidewalks, near ditches and on the road, raising fears of a major industrial disaster.

NIA Arrests Key Conspirator in Visakhapatnam Espionage Case

On December 20, Indian intelligence agencies busted the espionage racket linked to Pakistan with the arrest of seven Indian Navy personnel and a hawala operator.

New Delhi: In a major success, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday arrested the key conspirator in the Visakhapatnam espionage case related to alleged leaking of sensitive information to Pakistani intelligence agency ISI.

Mohammed Haroon Haji Abdul Rehman Lakdawala (49), a resident of Mumbai, is one of the key conspirators in the case which was taken over by the NIA in December last year, an official of the agency said.

On December 20, Indian intelligence agencies busted the espionage racket linked to Pakistan with the arrest of seven Indian Navy personnel and a hawala operator.

With the arrest of Lakdawala, a total of 14 accused have so far been arrested, including 11 Navy personnel and one Pakistani-born Indian national Shaista Qaiser.


“Investigation revealed that Lakdawala had visited Karachi (Pakistan) on many occasions to meet his handlers under the guise of conducting cross-border trade. During these visits, he came in contact with two Pakistani spies namely Akbar alias Ali and Rizwan, who directed him to deposit money into the bank accounts of Navy personnel at regular intervals. The same was done through different means,” the official said.

During searches at the house of Lakdawala, a number of digital devices and incriminating documents were seized by NIA, he said, adding further investigation in the case was underway.

“The NIA has arrested the key conspirator in the Visakhapatnam espionage case related to an international espionage racket involving individuals based in Pakistan and at different locations in India,” the official said.

Pakistan-based spies recruited agents in India for collecting sensitive and classified information regarding locations and movements of Indian naval ships and submarines, and other defence establishments.

“Investigation revealed that a few Navy personnel came in contact with Pakistani nationals through various social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp and were involved in sharing classified information in lieu of monetary gains. The money was deposited into the bank accounts of the Navy personnel through Indian associates having business interests in Pakistan,” he said.