Kendrapara: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has served notices on Puri District Magistrate, Superintendent of Police and Secretary, Ministry of Shipping over a Malaysian cargo ship (JIN HWA 32) that has been stranded near the mouth of Chilika lake, since August 7, 2019 after losing direction in a storm in the Bay of Bengal.
Acting on the petition of rights activist ‘Akhand’, the apex rights panel directed the officials concerned to submit Action Taken Report (ATR) in the case within four weeks.
Petitioner ‘Akhand’ wrote to NHRC expressing concern over the spilling of oil from the vessel posing threat to the eco-sensitive coastal zone of Chilika and coastal Odisha. The ship contained 30,000 litres of diesel, 1,000 litres of lube oil and 200 litres of hydraulic oil.
The ship carrying cargo from Malaysia had unloaded its shipment in Bangladesh and was on its way to Vishakhapatnam port to pick up fresh cargo, when its machines malfunctioned. The vessel with dead-weight tonnage of 7,500 had sailed from Mongla Port August 2, 2019 and was heading for Visakhapatnam. After being caught in the storm, it drifted towards Odisha before getting stuck near the mouth of Chilika at Rajhans, a thin stretch of sand in the lagoon.
There were eight people aboard the ship including seven Malaysians and an Indian. Police came to know about the ship August 8. As there is no harbour nearby and the vessel was not moored, it started tilting. Soon the vessel’s hull went deep down the sandy coast leading to oil slick, alleged petitioner ‘Akhand’ before NHRC.
The government could not take prompt action for removal of oil and the vessel. It will take a month’s time to extract oil from the cargo, said Akhand.
“The oil spill will harm the environment and sea. It may also impact human beings. The rights of the people are violated by the inaction of the authorities. Fishermen living near the lake and coast are worried how the oil slick would affect their livelihood,” argued the petitioner.
“There should also be an inquiry about how ship drifted towards Odisha and whether it has valid registration, fitness and legal permission to transport cargo,” Akhand stated in its petition.
PNN