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SC permits dismantling of 'Blue Lady'
New Delhi, Sept 11: The Supreme Court on Tuesday permitted the dismantling of the Norwegian ship "Blue Lady", formerly known as the S S Norway.
The apex court had earlier reserved its verdict on the ship-breaking case, saying “Why should we interfere with the Technical Experts Committee (TEC)"s recommendations."
The TEC had given its nod for the dismantling the “Blue Lady", estimated to be a mass of 46,000 tonnes, mostly containing asbestos and steel material.
The
apex
court
had
received
a
report
relating
to
hazardous
wastes
caused
by
ship-breaking
from
Dr.
Prodipto
Ghosh,
the
Chairman
of
the
TEC
on
Management
of
Hazardous
Wastes
relating
to
Ship-breaking.
In
a
joint
report
prepared
last
month,
the
TEC
and
the
Gujarat
Government
had
given
permission
for
dismantling
the
ship
with
certain
conditions
and
recommendations.
The apex court had earlier made it clear that the dismantling of the ship would not take place without its clearance.
In November, 2006, Sanjay Mehta of Priya Blue Industries Private Ltd based inside the Sosiya Ship-breaking yard, Bhavnagar, had filed an application in the court seeking permission for dismantling the "Blue Lady" after anchoring permission was granted to Rajeev Reniwal of the Hariyana Ship Demolitions Pvt Ltd on humanitarian grounds in June 2006.
The ship, anchored at Gujarat"s Pipavav port, 73 nautical miles off Alang, has been synonymous with 'controversy" for over a year now.
Villagers
in
Gujarat's
Bhavnagar
District
have
argued
that
the
dismantling
of
the
ship
will
have
a
hazardous
impact
on
12
villages
located
near
the
Alang
Ship-breaking
yard.
Taking
recourse
to
Rule
12
(i)
of
the
Hazardous
Wastes
(Management
and
Handling)
Rules
under
the
Environment
Protection
Act,
1986
that
bans
the
import
of
asbestos,
Gohil,
the
head
of
the
Sosiya
Village
Council
opined
that
exposure
to
asbestos
could
result
in
a
loss
of
livelihood
because
of
the
contamination
of
the
aquatic
life
in
the
sea.
According
to
Greenpeace
and
other
environmental
groups,
the
ship
contains
over
900
tonnes
of
asbestos.
Theses
groups
also
say
that
the
lack
of
modern
technology
makes
ship
breaking
unsafe.
In
February
2006,
the
French
Government
recalled
the
aircraft
carrier,
Clemenceau,
which
has
en
route
to
Alang
after
a
lengthy
campaign
by
Greenpeace.
Last
December,
the
environmentalists"
group
said
thousands
of
workers
in
the
ship-breaking
industry
in
countries
such
as
India,
China
and
Pakistan
had
probably
died
over
the
past
two
decades
due
to
exposure
to
toxic
waste.
ANI>
