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  • Essay / Alang, the story of the world's largest ship breaking industry in Gujarat

    Located on the coast of Gujarat, about 50 km from Bhavnagar city, lies the largest ship breaking industry in the world in Alang. Graveyard of around 450 ships a year that head to its shores after being deemed unfit for further use, Alang surprises the world with its ability not only to accommodate hustle and bustle on such a large scale, but also with the enjoyable value that he generated. in the process. The project, since it became operational in 1983, has been expanding every year and is estimated to generate a good figure of 6,000 crores. Started as an initiative by the state government to create employment for a large number of unskilled labour, it now not only employs the local population but has over the years attracted a workforce cheap all over the country; majority of them are from Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay. parts and recycle them. This activity, before 1983, was hosted by the selected shipyards of Taiwan, Mexico, Spain, Brazil and Great Britain. Due to the high cost of labor in developed countries, coupled with their strict environmental standards and human rights issues, these countries have found it profitable to dispose of waste at a very cheap price by throwing their abandoned ships onto the shores of Alang. India thus becomes the crème de la crème in the shipbreaking industry globally, due to its minimum standards on paper and their meager implementation. Next come Pakistan and Bangladesh which remain weak purely due to their size. Alang holds about 173 plots to carry out recycling and dismantling activities, providing employment to about 30,000 unorganized jobs directly in Alang and thousands more benefit from employment opportunities indirectly in related industries. .Nevertheless, the city pays a heavy price for its good fortune. The structural complexity of ships as well as safety, environmental and health concerns raise eyebrows in the industry. Exposure of workers to harmful chemicals and the elimination of substances like asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls, lead, mercury, and chlorofluorocarbons into the environment make the industry unsafe to work in. Additionally, regular cases of oil spills into the water have led to contamination of the marine ecology around the area. Workers must struggle even to gain access to basic facilities such as water, toilets, shelter, sanitation, electricity and adequate drainage systems. Migrant workers cannot benefit from government programs implemented for residents of local villages in and around shipbreaking yards. A 2014 study commissioned by the National Human Rights Commission found that there were 470 "reported" deaths between 1983 and 2013. In December last year, another worker died as a result of the The fire which broke out in the tankers being dismantled on the site. In this regard, it is important to mention that the final report of the Commission of Technical Experts appointed by the Supreme Court revealed the pathetic situation faced by these workers: the average annual incidence of fatal accidents in the manufacturing industry shipbreaking is 2.0 per 1,000 workers, while the incidence of fatal accidents across India during the same.