Despite Health Risks, Laborers Dismantle Controversial Ship

ALANG SHIPYARD, India (Reuters) - After over a year of protests by environmentalists, poor workers in west India have happily begun dismantling a controversial cruise liner, ignoring potentially serious risks to their health.

The breaking of the 46,000-ton Blue Lady was given the go-ahead by India’s Supreme Court last month after a long-running legal battle led by environmentalists, who said the Norwegian ship contained 900 tons of toxic waste like asbestos.

“Forget toxic fumes and chemicals, I might die due to poverty,” said 33-year-old Rafiq Sheikh, a migrant laborer and father of four who settled in Alang in 1993.

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