Alang yard mishap: NHRC issues notices to Shipping Min, Guj

National Human Rights Commission today issued notices to the Union Shipping Ministry and Gujarat government over the death of five persons allegedly due to gas leakage at Alang ship-breaking yard in the state recently.
NHRC has issued a notice to the Secretary of the Union Ministry of Shipping and Chief Secretary of Gujarat government, calling for factual reports within two weeks, according to a statement released by the commission today.
The notices were issued after the commission took suo motu cognisance of media reports that a gas leak took place on June 28 at Alang ship-breaking yard in Gujarat due to which five persons were killed and many more injured.

The statement said the Alang yard is reportedly one of the largest ship-breaking yards in the world and most of the ships which are brought there may have large quantities of gas, arsenic and other hazardous materials which can cause severe damage to mankind as well as the environment.
The commission has observed that the contents of the media reports, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of human rights of the people engaged in the hazardous ship- breaking work.
The news clippings were referred to the commission by the President of NGO Mission Bharatiyam, requesting its intervention in the matter.