QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Sanaullah
Zehri on Thursday banned the breaking of tanker vessels and LPG containers at
Gadani until a proper safety mechanism is devised and adopted.
Chairing a high-level meeting on Gadani, the
chief minister directed authorities concerned to evolve a strategy for avoiding
incidents like the November 1 blaze at the ship-breaking yard. He termed
incidents like the accident – which according to an official tally claimed
around 20 lives but is feared to have resulted in the deaths of more than 100
labourers – intolerable.
Those who attended the meeting included
provincial ministers Sardar Mustafa Tareen, Dr Hamid Khan Achakzai and
Obaidullah Babat, MPAs Liaquat Agha and Abdul Qadoos Bezinjo, Chief Secretary
Saifullah Chatta, Advocate General (AG)
Amanullah Kanrani, Customs Collector Saeed Jadoon, the chairman of the
Balochistan Development Authority and representatives of the ship-breakers’
association.
While recognising shipbreaking as an
important industry for the province, participants of the meeting agreed that
current safety arrangements at the Gadani ship-breaking yard are inadequate.
They stressed the need for proper emergency protocol to ensure both the safety
of both labourers and the environment.
The meeting agreed to set up a regulatory
authority for the ship-breaking industry in a month’s time. Until such an
authority is established and proper safety measures are adopted, the chief
minister banned all ship-breaking activities at Gadani save for the breaking of
vessels already docked at the shipyard. A team comprising the Kalat
commissioner, Lasbela deputy commissioner, officials from government
departments and representatives of the ship-breakers’ association would examine
those docked vessels for potential hazards.
“Protecting labourers is the government’s
first priority,” Zehri told the meeting. He said no negligence would be
tolerated in this regard. “If an accident occurs in future, the department
which issued a no-objection certificate for the vessel in question and the
ship’s owner will be held responsible,” he added.
Source: tribune.
03 February 2017
https://tribune.com.pk/story/1315654/zehri-suspends-ship-breaking-gadani-yard/
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