Platinum II contains radioactive substance,claims NGO

A day after Platinum II reportedly got a clean chit from the Central Inspection Committee the marooned vessel is now set to get mired in another controversy.

The Indian Platform for Ship Breaking (IPSB),an environmental NGO,has now begun procedures to file a case in the Supreme Court against the inspection teams report that the luxury liner awaiting beaching permission at Alang does not contain any hazardous material.

The ship should not get a clearance as it contains hazardous materials like asbestos,PCB and other radioactive substances,which can be disastrous for the people and the environment, said Gopal Krishna of IPSB. He added: We have initiated procedure to file a case. It will be filed by Monday.

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The group has decided to move the court just when the ship now marooned off the Gopnath coast,some 25 km from Alang is all set to get clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.

Earlier,the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) had reported that the ship contains asbestos and PCB,and now the NGO has said that it also contains radioactive substance in the form of smoke detectors and other sensors. Following protests,Union Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh had sent a five-member team to Alang for verification of the NGOs claims. The team had submitted its report by October 23.

Sources said the report did not mention about the presence of any objectionable material,while the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests is yet to give an official nod. Back home,till Sunday,GPCB did not receive any report from the Centre.

Even for Komalkant Sharma,the new owner of Platinum II,the wait on the fate of the Rs 35 crore ship continues.

I havent received any information on the Central

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committees report. We are still awaiting a response from the GPCB or the Centre, he said.

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