Jagan Slams Government For "Mishandling" Achyutapuram Incident

Former Andhra Pradesh CM Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy today said that the manner in which the Chandrababu Naidu government acted in the Achyutapuram incident was painful.

Speaking with the media after visiting with the victims in the morning at a private hospital in Anakapalli, Reddy said that the Achyutapuram incident was a huge tragedy, and that the government's attitude in the case was highly disappointing.

"The incident did not happen in the night but in broad daylight. However, the government remained completely negligent. By the time that the Collector and the Commissioner went to the incident spot, ambulances had not even reached the spot, and the victims were taken to hospitals in company buses. The Labour Minister said that he did not even have the details of the accident. Nobody even seems to know how many people have died, and the government does not even seem to want to react to the incident," he alleged.

"A similar incident took place in Mohayam - the LG Polymers incident. That was during Covid. The administration and the government machinery responded immediately. The Collector rushed to the spot shortly after the accident took place in the wee hours of the morning. I myself reached the accident site by 11 am. We also became the first government in the country to pay a compensation of Rs 1 crore per person who passed away, and gave the compensation within 24 hours. We sent Rs 30 crore cumulatively as compensation. No government in the past had responded like that. But the way that this government has responded now is sad. An in-depth investigation should be conducted into how the accident took place in this factory," he said.

Reddy said that the accident would not have happened had the industries been monitored properly. He said that the government needed to act responsibly at least now, and that compensation needed to be given immediately. "If the victims are not compensated, I will come and do a dharna myself. I will stand by the victims," he said.

Reddy also expressed surprise at CM Naidu's press meet, and alleged that the CM was trying to divert the issue.