RAS question
Ship breaking in India is primarily concentrated at which location?
Correct answer: (A) Alang, Gujarat.
Ship breaking in India is primarily concentrated at Alang-Sosiya in Gujarat, with Alang accounting for nearly 90% of ships broken in the country.
Explanation
Alang, in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat, is the centre of India's ship-breaking and ship-recycling activity. Ship recycling in India takes place mainly at Alang-Sosiya in Gujarat, while ship breaking at Kolkata Port, Mumbai Port and Kannur is limited. Alang accounts for nearly 90% of the ships broken in India and represents the Indian image of ship recycling. This is why Alang, Gujarat is the substantive answer, not merely one coastal site among many. The environmental angle is also part of the issue: asbestos, heavy metals, oil sludge and toxic paint contamination are key concerns, while regulation is linked to safe, environmentally sound recycling and hazardous-material management under the Shipbreaking Code and the Hong Kong Convention framework.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Chennai is not identified by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Government of India as the main Indian ship-recycling centre; the activity takes place mainly at Alang-Sosiya in Gujarat.
- (C) Mumbai is a major port and ship breaking occurs there, but only with restrictions; it does not rival Alang, which accounts for nearly 90% of ships broken in India.
- (D) Visakhapatnam is a major port, but the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Government of India does not list it as India's primary ship-breaking location, whereas it specifically identifies Alang-Sosiya in Gujarat as the main centre.
Concept
This tests the economic-geography and environment interface: where a polluting recycling industry is spatially concentrated and why that location matters. RAS repeats such facts because they connect ports, industrial location, waste regulation and environmental governance.