ALANG, GUJARAT // For
several kilometres on the approach to the ship-breaking yards of Alang, shops
and stalls line the stretch of road selling the array of goods retrieved from
scrapped ships, ranging from crockery and sun loungers to lifejackets and even
lifeboats.
An entire industry has
grown around the area’s ship recycling sector and it has become known as Alang
Bazaar.
For years, these
businesses managed to do a roaring trade. Word that a major cruise ship had
docked in Alang to be scrapped would draw hotel and restaurant owners from
miles around, as they looked to furnish their establishments with
bargain-priced goods.
But business in Alang
Bazaar has dwindled in recent months because far fewer ships are arriving
because of lower steel prices and a soft rupee, which has made scrapping ships
financially unviable for ship-breaking firms.
As a result, shops are
unable to replenish their stock and draw customers.
Ramesh Bhai, 66, has no
customers in his large shop and has not made a sale for days. He has hundreds
of products — including compasses, ropes, oil, kitchen appliances — which he
says he buys from traders who buy the goods from the ship-breaking companies.
“Business has been
really bad for the past three months,” he says. He has had the shop for the
past three years.
“I’d like to get out of
the business but who is going to buy everything in here? I wouldn’t get my
investment back.”
He says he has more than
2.5 million rupees (Dh138,000) tied up in the goods in his store.
A few kilometres along
the road, Dilip Patel is in a similar quandary.
Eight months ago he took
over a shop that sells parts from ships, including lights and navigation
equipment. He thought he was getting a good deal because the owner was
desperate to sell up, but now he says he believes he made a big mistake.
“I was a farmer before
and I thought this business would be better,” Mr Patel says. “I thought I was
going to make a profit but now I’m in a loss. If business doesn’t pick up I’ll
have no choice but to go and work as a labourer.”
Source:
the national. 28 October 2015
http://www.thenational.ae/business/economy/indias-alang-bazaar-feels-pinch
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