Gas leak in aqua plant kills 5 workers in West Godavari:

Mogalthur (West Godavari): Leakage of ammonium gas from an aqua processing unit run by the Bhimavaram-based Anand Group of Companies reportedly resulted in death of five factory workers at Nallamvarithota under Mogalthur mandal of West Godavari district on Thursday.

They were believed to have died of suffocation on the factory premises.Enraged by the mishap, locals stoned the factory, ransacked the furniture, windowpanes and allegedly assaulted a few employees.

The victims were identified as Boddu Rambabu (20) (Mettu Revu), Nalla Yedukondalu (22) (Nallavari thota), Eda Yedukondalu (23) (Sitarampuram), Jakkamsetty Praveen (20) (Kalipatnam) and Thota Srinu (20) (Mogalturu). According to eye-witness accounts, the accident occurred when the workers were cleaning a sump on the factory premises.

The wastes of processed aqua products and the other effluents are let into the sump and it is cleaned by workers from time to time.A couple of workers soon after they reported for duties got into the sump for cleaning purpose. As they were not coming back, they were followed by three others.

Filled with residues of ammonium gas inside the sump, it turned out to be a death trap for all of them, it is alleged. Some workers complained that they suffered burning sensation in their eyes and giddiness when they approached the sump immediately after their colleagues trapped inside it.

With this tragedy, the fears vehemently expressed by people in villages surrounding Thundurru where the same group is promoting another mega food park over their safety through a sustained agitation came true. The anti-food park protests which drew the support of Jana Sena leader Pawan Kalyan and the CPI (M) brought the plant under construction to a standstill even after Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s assurance for strong measures against pollution.

Tension prevailed at the factory premises following violent protests by the near and the dear of the victims and deployment of police in large numbers. Villagers staged a protest demonstration outside the main gate, demanding punitive action against the management for its alleged failure to ensure safety measures.

Collector K Bhaskar, Superintendent of Police Bhaskar Bhushan, TDP local MLA Bandaru Madhava Naidu, Sub-Collector of Narsapur Sumith Kumar Gandhi and DSP G Poornachandra Rao camped at the accident site overseeing rescue operations. The Collector offered an ex gratia of Rs 17 lakh to the victims’ families following a direction from Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

The assistance includes Rs 7 lakh to be borne by the factory management. The Collector stated that the administration will seize the processing unit for its failure to conform to the guidelines leading to the death of innocent workers.