TOXICSWATCH-ALLIANCE: Letter to Gujarat Chief Minister on ongoing deaths of north Indian migrant workers on Alang beach

By Dilip -

Dear Shri Modiji,

This is to draw your attention towards yet another death on October 29, 2012 of a north Indian migrant worker from Uttar Pradesh in Bhavnagar’s Sterling Hospital. He succumbed to Gujarat’s Alang beach fire of October 6, 2012 in which several workers were burnt to death while dismantling a British end-of-life ship. I am attaching the picture of a dead body of a migrant worker who died in this fire.   

I submit that during your tenure from 2001 to 2012, officially there have been at least 173 deaths without anyone being made accountable or liable. In your recent interview to India Today magazine (November 5, 2012) you underlined that “600 million Gujaratis are my family”, the migrant workers, the non-Gujaratis who are routinely dying on Alang beach do not appear to be your concern at all.

I submit that the ongoing deaths of migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha on Alang beach, Bhavnagar, Gujarat came to light once again when officially six (now seven) workers were burnt to death on October 6, 2012. Sources have informed that the death toll is higher. These occupational deaths routinely happen. There has nothing been done to arrest these preventable deaths.

I submit that in the year 2011, 27 workers died in the shipbreaking activities at Alang beach.  These migrant casual workers live and work in a slave like condition.

You say “there are 52 islands along the coast of Gujarat. I want to make them tourist attractions of international standard.” During you tenure why is it that you forgot about the fate of Alang coast which is the worst coastal beach in the world.  Gujarat government too the right step by shutting down the Sachana plots in November 2011 citing massive pollution as a reason, Sachana shipbreaking plots in Jamnagar district , Gujarat where some private agencies have been carrying out ship-breaking work. The closure order read:  “The ship-breaking is termed illegal because this breaking activity is going on in the water of Marine National Park…” stated an order dated 22-11-2011 from the Office of Chief Forest Conservator. The order said: “Because of ship-breaking, harmful objects like arsenic, mercury, asbestos, oil, etc could harm marine life in the long time. This leads to complex problems for protecting and conserving the Marine National Park and Marine sanctuary.”I submit that these observations are quite relevant for the ship-breaking operations on Alang beach, Bhavnagar as well but your government ignored the similarity between the two.

I wish to draw your attention towards UN Special Rapporteur's report based on his visit t o Alang beach in January 2010. I submit that UN Special Rapporteur's assessment reads:”…in India ships are dismantled on beaches, a method commonly referred to as “beaching”. This method of ship dismantling fails to comply with generally accepted norms and standards on environmental protection. Although very little work has been carried out to assess its environmental impact, the dismantling of ships on sandy beaches without any containment other than the hull of the ship itself appears to have caused high levels of contamination of soil, air, and marine and freshwater resources in many South Asian countries, and to have adversely affected the livelihood of local communities surrounding the shipbreaking facilities, which often rely on agriculture and fishing for their subsistence" at page 9 of the report.

I submit that UN Special Rapporteur's recommends "an independent study be carried out to assess the actual and potential adverse effects caused by the discharge of hazardous substances and materials into the natural environment. Such a study should also assess the steps that need to be taken for the gradual phasing out of “beaching” in favour of more environmentally friendly methods of shipbreaking" at page 21 of the report.

I submit that it has been almost 3 years but nothing has been done to make Alang coastal beach a tourist attraction of international standard.  Some 6, 000 end-of-life ships were permitted in the   past   30 years ignoring Navel Intelligence reports underlining threat to Alang’s coastal environment.

I submit that your government has failed to ensure that the guilty officials and ship breakers are made accountable. In the context of the recent deaths if you were sensitive you would have ensured that no deaths happen in future by re-opening the old cases of occupational deaths on the Alang beach to set matters right. Those plots which are more accident prone than mines must be closed with immediate effect. The migrant workers deserve both medical and legal remedy besides just compensation.

I submit that the recent inspection by Shri E K Bharat Bhushan led Supreme Court constituted Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Shipbreaking team took note of non-existent environmental and occupational health infrastructure for the umpteenth time since 2004. It is sad that recommendations of IMC from 2004 to 2012 onwards have not been implemented by your government. 

I submit that after each accident and death of workers, inquiry is ordered but their report remains classified and no action has been taken... Read more:
http://toxicswatch.blogspot.in/2012/10/open-letter-to-gujarat-chief-minister.html

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