Ahmedabad:
Can the Platinum 11 be safely dismantled in Gujarat?
The state says "yes", but just to make sure, a team sent by Delhi is now inspecting the luxury liner currently anchored 30 nautical miles off India's coast.
The Platinum II was on its way to be dismantled at the Alang ship breaking yard when environmentalists intervened. They claim that the ship hull is made of material with huge amounts of toxic and radioactive substances. So, they want the ship sent back to its original owner in the US.
The Gujarat Pollution Control Board has said that the ship's 200 tonnes of asbestos as well as its toxic polychlorinated biphenyl can be handled here in keeping with the Supreme Court's guidelines for ships with toxic cargo.
"Blue Lady had on board 2000 tones of asbestos. This ship has only 200 tonnes on-board and our yard can handle this safely,'' offers Komal Sharma, who owns a ship-breaking yard in Alang.
The ship has already been anchored in the high seas for a fortnight, and has developed leaks, leading to worries that it could disintegrate in the water. That could prove to be a bigger environmental disaster than what anyone's anticipated.
The state says "yes", but just to make sure, a team sent by Delhi is now inspecting the luxury liner currently anchored 30 nautical miles off India's coast.
The Platinum II was on its way to be dismantled at the Alang ship breaking yard when environmentalists intervened. They claim that the ship hull is made of material with huge amounts of toxic and radioactive substances. So, they want the ship sent back to its original owner in the US.
The Gujarat Pollution Control Board has said that the ship's 200 tonnes of asbestos as well as its toxic polychlorinated biphenyl can be handled here in keeping with the Supreme Court's guidelines for ships with toxic cargo.
"Blue Lady had on board 2000 tones of asbestos. This ship has only 200 tonnes on-board and our yard can handle this safely,'' offers Komal Sharma, who owns a ship-breaking yard in Alang.
The ship has already been anchored in the high seas for a fortnight, and has developed leaks, leading to worries that it could disintegrate in the water. That could prove to be a bigger environmental disaster than what anyone's anticipated.
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