Lok Sabha members demanded on Tuesday that the Bill seeking to regulate ship-breaking in India be discussed in detail to ensure it has adequate measures to reduce the impact on the environment, saying India should not a dumping area of foreign shipping companies.
Participating in the debate on Recycling of Ships Bill, 2019, many MPs demanded that the Government ensure adequate measures are taken to mitigate the impact of ship-breaking on the environment.
"Do not make India a dumping ground," NCP member Supriya Sule said, expressing apprehensions that 'Make in India' could become 'Dump in India.'
BSP's Danish Ali stressed that safety of workers should not be compromised in the name of generating employment.
He also said 'Make in India' should not become 'Dump in India' or 'Break in India'.
RSP's NK Premachandran said that the Government should study environmental implication of old ships from other countries landing in India for recycling.
Suggesting that the bill needs to discussed in detail as it has implications on the environment, K Veeraswamy (DMK) said about 3,000 ships are broken every year and the bulk of them in developing nations such as Bangladesh and Turkey and India. A Samanta (BJD) said ship-breaking is a dangerous occupation and hence should be subject to strict safety guidelines.
