Click to play videoNew Delhi: After Clemenceau, another toxic ship is headed towards Alang for dismantling.
The Technical Committee of the Supreme Court has given Blue Lady, a Norwegian Cruise Liner permission to beach in Alang and it is expected to arrive at Alang by the next two days.
The ship was alleged to have been ladened with hundreds of tones of cancer causing asbestos and poly chlorinated biphenyls, a nutrotoxin.
The environmentalists have been shocked by the decision of the Supreme Court.
“The beaching permission is in contempt of Court,” says activist and petitioner Gopal Krishna.
Activists also say that this is a violation of the 2003 Supreme Court order that says that any ship that comes to India for dismantling must be decontaminated, there should be a third party audit and there should be a list of materials on board, but none of the conditions have been complied with.
They have expressed concern for the health workers who will actually dismantle the ship.
“India does not have any facility to handle with PCB and this one of the banned items according to the Indian law and the International law. In fact India has rectified Stockholm Convention which basically banned the movement of PCB,” says green peace activist Ramapati.
On June 5, Blue Lady was allowed to enter Indian waters on humanitarian grounds, but there were arguments regarding issues including, the onset of monsoon and the fate of the 13 Indians on board.
The ship waited in the seas till a change in its ownership.
Finally on July 29 the Technical Committee chaired by Environment Secretary Prodipto Ghosh gave it permission to beach in Alang, just two days before the term expired.
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