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LS clears recycling of Ships Bill

New Delhi: The passage of Recycling of Ships Bill, 2019 in the Lok Saha on Tuesday, has paved the way for setting up of a monitoring body to ensure that recycling centres are in compliance with the Hong Kong Convention. The bill, which was taken up in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, was passed after discussion.

Piloting the Recycling of Ships Bill, 2019, Minister for State (I/C) Mansukh Mandaviya said that India had already done a lot of work towards raising standards followed at the ship-breaking yards. More than 70 of the 131 plots, or breaking yards at Alang in Gujarat, have already conformed to the Hong Kong Convention, he said.

Mandaviya said, "Around 800 vessels are sent for breaking every year around the world. India accounts for around 30 per cent of that work, with an average 250 ships recycled majorly at the centre in Alang. Apart from Bhavnagar in Gujarat, ships are broken and recycled at ports in Kolkata, Mumbai and in Kerala. It's an important industry as India gets 10 per cent of total steel from recycling of ships."

Initiating the debate, Congress member Hibi Eden opposed the Bill, saying it was 'unwanted, untimely and unethical'. Why is the Parliament going into the Bill, which has environment aspects and affects the aquatic life also, he asked.

However, NK Premachandran, Revolutionary Socialist Party member, supported the bill stating that government must ensure safety of labours and redressal of their grievances. "I support the bill but the government must ensure that it should not become Dump in India instead of Make in India," said while stating that the bill is silent on labour force.

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