UN officials inspect sites at Alang yard ship-breaking yard

The team of United Nations (UN) human rights officers today inspected various sites at the Alang ship-breaking yard here to assess the working conditions and facilities, officials of the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) said.
    
Okechukwu Ibeanu, special rapporteur of the UN Human Rights Council on the adverse effects of the movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes on the enjoyment of human rights, and Human Rights Officer Stefano Sensi, had arrived here from Geneva, yesterday.
    
They were here to assess issues concerning the human rights of those engaged in the ship-breaking at the world's largest scrapping site for ships.
    
According to GPCB officials, the two UN officials visited the plot 69 at the ship-breaking yard and saw how the ships were cut using gas cutters.
    
They talked to workers and authorities there with regard to personal and environment safety conditions and also learnt about the disposal of hazardous products and wastes in the yard, they said.
    
The UN officials also visited nearby village of Sosiya where some ships were being scraped, sources added.
    
GPCB officials said the two officers left Alang in the evening for Mumbai.