Alang - Ship Breaking yard

Heavy steel parts are cut and brought down from a shipbreaking plant in Alang. Alang, 50 km from Bhavnagar in east Gujarat was once India's largest ship breaking yard. But with Government tax policies and other environmental restrictions, the industry is in a very poor state. But recently the French ship Blue Lady was allowed to enter Alang by the court, paving way for a new begining.

ALANG SHIP RECYCLING

Alang is a census town in Bhavnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat, India. It is the leading centre of the worldwide ship breaking and recycling industry.
The shipyards at Alang recycle approximately half of all ships salvaged around the world.[citation needed] The yards are located on the Gulf of Khambat, 50 kilometres southeast of Bhavnagar. Visiting Westerners complain that before shipbreaking began there in June 1983 the beach at Alang was pristine and unspoiled.[citation needed] However, locals say that the work provides a reasonably paid job by local standards, with a steady income used to support their families.[citation needed]
Large supertankers, car ferries and container ships are beached during high tide, and as the tide recedes, hundreds of manual laborers dismantle each ship, salvaging what they can and reducing the rest into scrap. Tens of thousands of jobs are supported by this activity and millions of tons of steel are recovered.[citation needed]
The salvage yards at Alang have generated controversy about working conditions, workers' living conditions, and the impact on the environment. One major problem is that despite many serious work-related injuries, the nearest full service hospital is 50 kilometres away in Bhavnagar. Alang itself is served by a small Red Cross hospital that offers only limited services.
Almost one in every six workers could be suffering from an early stage of asbestosis and are at serious risk of contracting lung cancer, according to an expert committee set up by India’s Supreme Court.[citation needed]
A safer and more modern ship-breaking yard is located nearby at Pipavav.

Alang Ship-breaking Yard

Face off between Bhavnagar's ABCD & BITA

Conflicts are emerging between the two IT channel association in Bhavnagar-the Association of Bhavnagar Computer Dealers (ABCD) and the Bhavnagar Information Technology Association (BITA. The bone of contention between them is over recently held dealer meetings in the city. ABCD officials said they were not intimated about these meetings and their members could therefore not participate in it, which does not bode well for the association.
Ketan Trivedi, Secretary, ABCD said, "We have not been officially informed about two or three dealer meetings that were held in the city recently. In some cases, we were informed at the last moment and therefore our members could not attend it. This is affecting the business of our members who could have benefited from these events. We expect that should intimate us well in advance about these meetings so that our members can participate."
He added that often vendors get in touch with certain dealers in the city who then inform a few partners about the event. "But these members belong to the other association," Trivedi added.
But BITA officials have a different opinion about this subject. Govind Bhetaria, one of the founders of the newly formed BITA said, "Vendors always inform us about these meetings well in advance. Either they send a mail or they call to give us information about the same. I don't know what the problem between vendors and ABCD is as it is the vendor's prerogative to inform the local associations. As far as BITA is concerned, we don't have any problems in communicating with vendors."
While this instance can be termed as a non-issue, there have been other skirmishes between the two associations in the past, though not in a very overt fashion, according to dealers in the city. This could be because of the formation of BITA. It is learnt that ABCD was the first association in the city and was started almost 10 years ago. But it was not registered under the Socities Act.
"Because there was no action in ABCD, some of us decided to exit the body and start a new association," said Betharia. Since then, dealers say, that the two associations have issues with each other. But most partners were unconcerned about it and were only interested in their own business developments.
Hitesh Joshi, Proprietor, Naman Computers and an ABCD member said, "I don't know what's happening between the two associations. There may be some problems at the association level, which does not directly affect me. We formed the association to resolve our problems and help our business and not to create problems that will affect the business of other association members."
Hemanth Shah, Member, BITA said, "It's true that the companies directly send the invitation to the association about the meetings. In BITA, there are dealers who directly deal with vendor companies for their business and hence they receive information about meetings early. But there are no issues that members like me get involved in about ABCD or BITA."
In the past, there were talks about merging both the associations but due to some personal issues between the executive council members of the two bodies, this move failed.

Heritage Hotels in Bhavnagar

Nilambagh Palace HotelBuilt in Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Sir Takhat Singh in 1859 Nilambagh Palace was converted into a Heritage Hotel by Maharaja Virbhadra Singh in the year 1984. Designed by the German Architect Simsom this magnificent Heritage Hotel stands majestically amidst 40 acres of greenery. The settings of Nilambagh Palace depicts an ideal blend of the traditional Gujarati culture and modern luxuries. Visitors are mesmerized by the awesome beauty of the Burma teak furnitures, Belgian mirrors and European chandeliers crafted on its splendid dining hall. Nilambagh Palace is quite popular among the tourists for its historic library. You will get to experience the reminiscence of the Royal past and the grand tradition and culture of the Gujarat while staying in this magnificent Heritage Hotel. This beautiful Khaki stoned structure is encompassed by verdant green lawns and lovely gardens creating an ideal romantic ambiance for the guests. Nilambagh Palace is situated in Bhavnagar and is about 8km from Bhavnagar airport and 2km from Bhavnagar railway station.
CATEGORY : Standard Heritage

MANAGED BY : Independent Hotel

CITY : Bhavanagar (Gujarat)

ROOMS : 24 Air-con rooms & 3 suites

ACCESS : 8 kms. from Bhavnagar Airport and 2 kms from Bhavnagar Railway Station.

AMENITIES : Restaurant serving Continental, Chinese and Regional food, good rooms with attached bath and telephone. Beautiful Romanesque Swimming pool, Table tennis, Tennis courts, 24 Hrs room service and conference facitlity. AccommodationThe Nilambagh Palace has well furnished rooms that are marvelously decorated with elaborate designs. The interiors are quite sunning to look at and have period furnitures to provide you elegant hospitality of the royals. The rooms are also equipped with attached bath and telephone. Other facilities and amenitiesThe facilities and amenities offered by Nilambagh Palace Heritage Hotel will definitely give you supreme comfort and luxury. The lovely Romanesque swimming pool is a perfect place to relax and there are even facilities for playing tennis, table tennis. The room service is available for 24 hours and even banquets and meeting facilities are provided. The hotel also organizes several tours to the nearby tourist spots. DiningThe dining hall of this Heritage hotel creates an ideal romantic ambiance to dine, with its grand arrangements of crystal chez chandeliers, Burma teak banquet tables, carved chairs and antique furnitures. The guests are offered with mouth watering delights of Chinese, Continental as well as Gujarati Cuisines. During summer dining arrangements are made in the lawns garden chairs and swings and wrought iron chairs are laid. The garden is quite a nice place to relax even in the winters where you will get to see various beautiful birds and the picturesque scenery.