Taking suo motu cognisance of media reports on the June 28 gas leak at the Alang ship-breaking yard in which 5 persons were killed, the NHRC on Friday issued notice to the Shipping Ministry Secretary and Gujarat Chief Secretary. It has called for factual reports within two weeks. In a statement, the NHRC said Alang was one of the largest ship-breaking yards in the world and harboured ships that carried large quantities of gas, arsenic and other hazardous materials. It observed that the contents of media reports, if true, flagged a serious violation of human rights pertaining to persons engaged in ship-breaking work.
NGO Mission Bharatiyam had called the NHRC’s attention to the press reports and sought its intervention.
