Visakhapatnam, May 24: Days after styrene gas leak from LG polymers at RR Venkatapuram village in Visakhapatnam district which claimed 12 lives, the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Sunday issued interim directions to completely seize the premises of the industry. The Andhra Pradesh HC directed that none of the assets of the LG polymers would be allowed to be shifted. Vizag Gas Leak: Kin of Victims Stage Protest With Dead Bodies, Demand Immediate Closure of LG Polymers (Watch Video).

A bench of Justice Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari and Lalitha Kanneganti in its order directed that nobody would be allowed to the premises of the company. The court also disallowed the company's directors to leave India. The next hearing on the matter will take place on May 28. According to a report published in India TV, the court also sought an explanation from the state government for permitting the transportation of styrene monomer to South Korea, almost a week after the gas leak incident. Vizag Gas Leak: Leakage at LG Polymers Plugged, Situation Under Control, Says Andhra Pradesh DGP Gautam Sawang.

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The Jagan Mohan Reddy government in Andhra Pradesh had reportedly begun the process of transporting 13,000 tonnes of styrene gas on May 7. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had also slapped an interim penalty of Rs 50 crore on LG Polymers India. A bench, headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, also set up a 5-member committee to probe the incident.

On May 7, styrene gas leaked from LG Polymers around 3.45 am. The leak was noticed by company staff who were reportedly inspecting machines to restart the factory and raised the alarm. The incident claimed 12 lives while over 400 were taken ill and had to be hospitalised. District officials said 10,000 people from five villages were shifted to relief camps.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 24, 2020 10:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).