Amid brewing public protests, one more tug has been brought to the ship-breaking yard of the Steel Industrials Kerala Limited (SILK) at Beypore. The dismantling work will be carried out with the support of 18 workers at the SILK yard.
Though some of the trade union leaders from the area have communicated their opposition to the Port authorities and the SILK management over the dismantling activities at the yard, senior officers confirmed that they would not withdraw from the move as it was part of the lawful industrial activities of SILK in its capacity as a Public Sector Undertaking.
As part of the attempts to settle the dispute, the SILK management, on Thursday, held discussions with the opposing groups to convince them of the project and the safety measures already taken to address their concerns. However, sources said the protesters were yet to show any sign of cooperation.
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Meantime, M.K. Manoharan, chairman of a State-level people’s council formed against ship breaking ventures, said the SILK, if transparent in its deal, should firstly show commitment to obtain No Objection Certificate from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest for the project.