HC asks collector to provide food, medicine to ship crew

Gujarat High Court has issued a suo motu directive for the Bhavnagar district collector to provide food and medical supplies to the 17 crew members of the ship 'MV Meem' on humanitarian grounds following an appeal by an NGO based in Pakistan's Karachi.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice JB Pardiwala asked the DC to provide food and medical facilities after the appeal by the Ansar Burney Trust over the poor medical condition among the ship's crew members.
Comprising six Indians, five Pakistanis, three Egytians and a Syrian, a Bangladeshi and a Palestinian nationals each, the crew had arrived with their vessel at the Alang ship breaking yard in the district on August 7.

However, there was a dispute between the ship and the company which supplied fuel for it following which the latter moved High Court demanding the arrest of the ship.
After High Court passed an order to that effect on August 22, the ship ran out of food and medical supplies.
Thereafter, one of its crew members, Zeeshan Javed, a Pakistani national, fell ill.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Monday.