Six Years On, Vizag Gas Leak Survivors Await Justice, Healthcare
Six years after a deadly styrene gas leak shook Visakhapatnam to its core, survivors in Venkatapuram and the neighbouring localities say they are still waiting — for health cards, for justice, and for answers.
The catastrophic leak from the LG Polymers plant in the early hours of May 7, 2020, claimed 15 lives, sent hundreds to the hospital, and forced thousands from their homes across Venkatapuram, Kamparapalem, Padmanabhanagar, and surrounding areas. The city remained gripped by panic for nearly two days.
In the immediate aftermath, the then YSR Congress Party government announced ₹1 crore in compensation to the families of the deceased and ₹10,000 each to nearly 16,000 affected persons. However, victims maintain that many of those promises were never honoured.
The subsequent coalition government extended financial relief of approximately ₹60 crore. Families residing in the company’s designated red zone received ₹3.5 lakh each, while around 6,750 gas-affected families were provided ₹50,000 apiece.
Yet for the people who live in the plant’s shadow, money has not bought peace of mind.
An expert committee constituted after the disaster had warned that residents within a two-kilometre radius of the factory could face prolonged health risks. Those fears, villagers say, are now a grim reality — with many residents reportedly suffering from ailments they attribute to the gas exposure.
Families that lost agricultural land to the plant’s establishment now face an additional blow — with the factory shut, their livelihoods have all but collapsed.
Gonnabattula Srinivas, president of the Venkatapuram Residents Welfare Association, was unequivocal. “Health cards promised to victims have not been issued even after six years,” he said. He demanded regular medical check-ups, access to multi-speciality healthcare, and enhanced compensation for all affected persons.
Gas Leak Victims Association president BTV Satyanarayana echoed the demand, calling for free lifetime medical treatment, regular cancer screening, and compensation for 51 identified victim families. He also urged that, should the factory reopen, at least 70 per cent of jobs be reserved for residents and that the unit operate as a pollution-free facility.
Residents across the affected localities have collectively appealed to the authorities to ensure that any resumption of operations at the plant is contingent on strict environmental safeguards — so that the tragedy of May 7, 2020, is never repeated.