Indian Express: Chennai: Thursday,
September 15, 2016.
The State
government on Wednesday submitted the Crime Branch CID’s probe report in the
southern bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT), which stated that the Kanchi
Kamakoti Child’s Trust Hospital had sold infectious bio-medical waste (BMW) to
an unauthorised vendor for monetary gains in violation of the Bio-Medical Waste
(Management and Handling) Rules. The
court has now widened the scope of investigation.
The tribunal
preferred to treat the report confidential, but has revealed selected content
which says the hospital had sold 240 kg of BMW in three months towards the end
of 2015 to M/s Karung Kalikamba Enterprises, Tondiarpet. After studying the
report, the bench, comprising Justice P Jyothimani and expert member PS Rao,
ordered the TNPCB to lock and seal M/s Karung Enterprises and initiate criminal
prosecution against the vendor as well as the nursing director and medical
director of the Child’s Trust Hospital, who have authorised the illegal sale of
the BMW. The Child’s Trust Hospital, which got impleaded in the case, was given
two weeks time to file a reply.
Besides, the
court has directed the TNPCB to probe whether the vendor had collected the BMW
from other hospitals as well. Express had earlier carried an exhaustive report
on how pilferage is happening at some of the leading hospitals in Chennai and
neighbourhood, based on information obtained through the Right to Information
(RTI).
It’s been two
months since ADGP CB-CID has sent the report to the Principal Secretary of
Health and Family Welfare in July and the same was forwarded to teh chairman of
the TNPCB to initiate action against the vendor and the hospital, but
ironically the TNPCB expressed ignorance of the report.
Also, the NGT
had directed the TNPCB to initiate action against 21 hospitals for violating
the BMW rules. The quantity of biomedical waste generated and disposed of, as
furnished by these erring hospitals for the period of April, 2015 to March,
2016, does not match the details of the quantity of waste maintained by the
Common Biomedical Waste Treatment and Disposal Facility.
A variation
of 300 kg per month was observed during
certain months at certain hospitals. So
far, no action has been taken by the TNPCB against these erring hospitals.
In reply,
TNPCB counsel Yasmeen Ali said the board had issued directions under section 5
of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 as amended to the hospital to comply with
the norms.
.JPG)
.JPG)
