MediaVigil, Journal of Global Communications and Justice

Gopal Subramanium, Additional Solicitor General of India in the Supreme Court continued his arguments today in the matter of Hazardous wastes/ship-breaking/Blue Lady case. He argued on the general recommendations of Technical Experts Committee (TEC) on Management of Hazardous Wastes relating to Ship breaking. The bench of Justice Arijit Pasayat and Justice S H Kapadia heard the matter. Subramanium is representing of Ministry of Environment in the case. Subramanium prayed that the recommendations of TEC may be accepted as a procedure henceforth applicable for ship-breaking. This committee came into being as result of an order of R K Vaish, Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Environment and Forests issued an order dated 24 th March, 2006 for the "Constitution of a Committee of Technical Experts with respect to the directions of this Hon'ble Court dated 17.2.2006 in the matter of W.P. (C) No. 657 of 1995 on Management of Hazardous Wastes". Secretary, Union Mini...

Senior Advocate Gopal Subramanium who was appointed Additional Solicitor General of India in the Supreme Court on 8th April, 2005 began his arguments today (on 30 August) in the matter of Hazardous wastes/ship-breaking/Blue Lady case. He dwelt on the use, reuse and safe use of asbestos, asbestos containing material and asbestos wastes. He was assisted by former Additional Solicitor-General Mukul Rohatgi who explained to the bench that there is difference between hazardous waste and hazardous material but forgot to tell what is the status of hazardous material meant for disposal. The arguments began at 2 PM and it was abruptly stopped at 2.30 PM. The arguments will continue tomorrow wherein the impermissibility, illegal traffic of Blue Lady and the recommendations of the Committee of Technical Experts on Hazardous wastes pertaining to ship-breaking will come up for discussion. It may be noted that the issue of asbestos is quite pertinent since this will set precedent of continued use of...

Senior Advocate Gopal Subramanium who was appointed Additional Solicitor General of India in the Supreme Court on 8 April, 2005 began arguments in the matter of Blue Lady dwelt on Asbestos issue of उसे and रयूसे and सफे of Asbestos taining Material (ACM), Asbestos Wastes and the ir Impact on Worker’s Health All forms of asbestos except Chrysotile Asbestos is banned in India. Mining of asbestos is also banned since no new lease for asbestos mining is allowed. The export and import of asbestos waste (dust and fiber) is also banned as per Hazardous Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2003. But import of Canadian and Chrysotile asbestos is still allowed despite ban in some 40 countries due to incurable but preventable cancer caused by this killer fiber in the name of its continued mythical “safe and controlled use”. No accurate figures can be stated about the total number of asbestos victims in India as quantification has never been done despite ongoing global a...

Toxic chemicals laden 10 Dollar ship poses threat to workers and villagers Terror elements suspected in the hazardous waste trade The Parliamentary Committee dealing with Blue Lady (SS Norway) has taken note of huge amounts of Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCBs) besides all the Supreme Court Committees but so far no “Inventory of PCB-Containing Equipment” has been made available either to the court or to the Parliamentary panel. The 315-metre long and 46,000-tonne, 11 - storey Blue Lady left the port of Malaysia for Dubai for 'repairs' in May 2006 and later sailed towards Alang and anchored off Alang on humanitarian grounds due to monsoons in June 2006. PCB is one of the Persistent Organic Pollutant (POPs) that remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely distributed geographically, accumulate in the fatty tissue of living organisms and are toxic to humans and wildlife. POPs circulates globally and can cause damage wherever they travel. The case...

Information about radioactive material not divulged New Delhi: Even as the Supreme Court is all set to hear the case of Blue Lady on 29 August, Parliamentary Petitions Committee’s Report on Blue Lady has been tabled in the Lok Sabha. What is noteworthy is the fact that Environment Ministry has neither informed the apex court nor the Parliamentary Committee that the ships have radioactive material, handling of the same is fraught with hazardous consequences. The officials of both at the Ministry and the Gujarat Maritime Board has been guilty of dereliction of duty of not letting the workers and the concerned authorities know of the radioactive materials of the ships which come for dismantling. In its recommendations the Committee has noted “The very fact that the Hon’ble Supreme Court had to intervene in the matter, underlines the failure of the Government to formulate till now any policy to regulate environmentally safe ship breaking activity in the country.” The Committee ...

SHOW-CAUSE NOTICE TO HONOURABLE CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA Q1. How many cases of allegations against judges were made in the media about misuse of office , criminal acts by judges from munsiff court to supreme court of India ? since 1947 till date ? Q2. are the inquiry report findings, action taken reports of such cases accessible to public ? if not why ? Q3. what action has been taken against guilty judges ? Q4. are the guilty judges legally prosecuted in all such cases ? or has it just ended with their resignation from services or his superior judge not allotting him any judicial work ? Q5. why some high ranking judges are not legally prosecuted for their wrong doings ? Q6. are judges above law ? are not everybody equal before law ? Q7. do the judiciary subject , all the cases handled by accused / tainted , guilty judges to review , to undo past unjust judgments ? Q8. how ? if not why ? Q9. how do the judiciary monitor the net wealth growth of some judges including the wealth in th...

T he misleading Press Release of the Ministry of Water Resources, Govt of India, on August 21 and diverse responses to it must be responded to set the issue in proper context . Jai Prakash Narayan Yadav, Minister of State in the Ministry of Water Resources belongs to Rashtriya Janata Dal of Laloo Prasad Yadav. One can be almost confident that none of the political parties including Rashtriya Janata Dal have any position on climate change. Therefore, there is no point in singling him out. Yadav is simply quoting what Geological Survey of India (GSI) position is with regard to climate change and not articulating the position of Ministry of Water Resources but by doing so it has cleverly indulged in selective reporting of facts to suit its ongoing and proposed hydro-electric projects . There is hardly any credible scientist who has not underlined that global warming is no more a debatable issue, it is a reality staring mankind in the face. India is a signatory to Ky...

Global Warming and Hydro-electric Projects Jai Prakash Narayan Yadav, Minister of State in the Ministry of Water Resources belongs to Rashtriya Janata Dal of Laloo Prasad Yadav. One can be almost confident that none of the political parties including Rashtriya Janata Dal have any position on climate change. Therefore, there is no point in singling him out. Yadav is simply quoting what Geological Survey of India (GSI) position is with regard to climate change and not articulating the position of Ministry of Water Resources but by doing so it has cleverly indulged in selective reporting of facts to suit its ongoing and proposed hydro-electric projects . There is hardly any credible scientist who has not underlined that global warming is no more a debatable issue, it is a reality staring mankind in the face. India is a signatory to Kyoto Protocol. Will Gauri Chatterjee, Secretary, Water Resources, Government of India explain as to whether India ratified the Protocol even as it conti...