Toxic ship Blue Lady can enter India
|
The Supreme Court of India has permitted the former Norwegian cruise liner Blue Lady , that reportedly containing hundreds of tonnes of toxic asbestos, to enter India waters, despite opposition from environmental groups.However, the court directed that the ship could only be scrapped once its cargo was declared safe.
While refusing to ban the ship from docking in India, the apex court has directed that it be anchored at the Alang shipbreaking yard in Gujarat for inspection by the Indian authorities. The SC said customs and port authorities would verify the amount of contaminants on board and report their findings to the court. On June 5, a vacation bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Justice Arijit Pasayat and Justice C K Thakker, allowed the application filed by Indian government, seeking permission for the ship’s entry into India. The court, however, did not permit the dismantling of the ship till further orders. Additional Solicitor General of India Gopal Subramanium, appearing for the government, assured the court that all safety norms related to environmental pollution will be adhered to and also pleaded that the inspection was not possible unless until the ship was permitted to arrive in Gujarat. Sanjay Parikh, counsel for the petitioner NGO Research Foundation For Science, however, opposed the entry of the ship on the grounds that the hazardous waste in the ship was yet to be decontaminated. At present, the Blue Lady is anchored 120 km away from Indian territorial waters. Greenpeace and other groups have campaigned to stop the 46,000-tonne ship -- also know as the SS Norway -- from entering India as they say it contains more than 900 tonnes of asbestos in its lining, as well as other hazardous material. Infochange |
Printable version
Back to top
