Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu pre-empted a potential attack from his predecessor and YSR Congress Party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy regarding Wednesday’s explosion at a pharmaceutical company in the Achutapuram Special Economic Zone in Anakapalle district.
Minutes after Jagan announced that he would visit the accident site and the hospitals in Anakapalle and Visakhapatnam on Friday to meet with the families of the victims and the injured, Naidu quickly decided to make the same visits on Thursday.
Officials swiftly prepared the itinerary for Naidu’s visit to Anakapalle and Visakhapatnam, and all necessary arrangements were made.
As the severity of the accident became apparent in the evening, Jagan issued a statement demanding compensation of Rs 1 crore for each of the families of the deceased, as well as better medical treatment for the injured.
Jagan is expected to reiterate this demand during his visit to Anakapalle and Visakhapatnam on Friday. He likely plans to recall how he responded to the major industrial accident at LG Polymers in Visakhapatnam in May 2020, where he provided ex gratia of Rs 1 crore to each of the families of the 12 victims.
In an effort to pre-empt Jagan’s plans, the Naidu government promptly announced ex gratia of Rs 1 crore to each of the families of the 17 workers who died in the massive explosion at Escientia Advanced Sciences Private Limited in the Atchutapuram pharma SEZ.
Visakhapatnam District Collector M.N. Harendhira Prasad, who visited the injured receiving treatment at King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam, confirmed that the government had announced Rs 1 crore as compensation for each victim's family.
“The compensation for the injured is also being determined,” he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who expressed his condolences for the lives lost in the Anakapalle factory explosion, also announced ex gratia from the PMNRF of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured.
The Naidu government also responded quickly by arranging for better treatment for the injured, including transferring them to corporate hospitals in Anakapalle and Visakhapatnam. Air ambulances were also arranged to shift severely injured patients to Hyderabad if necessary.
As a result, there may be little left for Jagan to criticize Naidu on, except perhaps demanding stringent action against the management of Escientia Pharma, whose negligence is believed to have led to the accident.