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Central team completes inspection of toxic ship Platinum II |
A three-member investigation team has completed inspection of the US ship Platinum
II for toxic materials. The team led by SA Das, industrial advisor to steel Ministry,
is set to submit its report to the Ministry of Environment and forests on October
23. The team, which included two members each from the Atomic Energy Regulatory
Board, Mumbai, and the Central Pollution Control Board, Vadodara, inspected the
ship for almost three hours. The Platinum II is allegedly loaded with highly dangerous
toxic waste but was granted permission to dock earlier this month. The Government's
move has had environmentalists protesting. The inspection team however refused
to divulge details regarding their findings. "We have done our job and now we
supposed to go back to Delhi and give report. We are not supposed to disclose
anything. It is the Ministry of Environment and Forest that is supposed to disclose
anything," said Das. The damage content or the presence of radioactive material
is not yet known. "There are some problems which is visible. But they are only
basically polluted items, but we do not know the damage content," added Das. The
US ship was given permission to anchor on October 8 after a desk review wherein
the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB), the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) and
the Central Customs Department gave it clearance. The Supreme Court had passed
a ruling that ships should be broken down in the country only after prior decontamination.
Earlier in 2006, the Supreme Court had stopped French ship Clemenceau from entering
Indian waters because of 500 tons of asbestos on it. In the same year, the court
allowed Blue Lady, another French ship for breakage. Alang is one of the leading
centres of the worldwide ship breaking and recycling industry. |
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