VIJAYAWADA: TDP supremo and Leader of the Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday appealed to the Centre to send medical teams with national and international expertise to provide treatment to the people affected by the gas leak at LG Polymers, in Visakhapatnam.
In a letter addressed to Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, the TDP chief, besides asking for an inquiry into the incident, said it was necessary to shift the entire unit to a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) that has no population living in the vicinity. “It is important to focus on mitigating further loss of lives and minimising the adverse health effects on the people of Visakhapatnam in the long run. The Centre should provide expertise and guidance to the AP government until the issue of gas leakage is brought to a logical conclusion,” the former chief minister said.
“As of now, a few people died and around 2,000 people have fallen sick due to the gas leakage. Since there may not be the required expertise in Visakhapatnam city to treat the people affected with styrene gas, I request you to send medical experts from India and abroad to treat the victims of styrene gas leak,” he said. Naidu said COVID-19 infects the lungs and reduces immunity of people.
Hence, it is essential that medical aid should be two-pronged keeping in mind the dual risks from styrene gas and COVID-19. “Necessary equipment to analyse and estimate the radius affected by styrene gas leak should be provided immediately,’’ he urged. Naidu demanded that all the people and animals in the affected radius be evacuated at once and necessary medical aid be provided to them. “In this crucial time, it is vital for us to recognise the importance of animals in general and domestic animals in particular,’’ Naidu said.
Naidu seeks Centre’s nod to visit Vizag
In a letter to PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, Naidu sought permission for a special flight from Hyderabad to Visakhapatnam to visit the city and assess the post-disaster activities and console the affected people in his capacity as the Leader of the Opposition. There was no response to Naidu’s letter from the Principal Secretary when reports last came in.