MARGAO
The government has told the Margao Municipal Council that the directions issued by the Director, Urban Development to the urban local bodies to stop collecting biomedical waste from the healthcare facilities has come into force with immediate effect.
In fact, the government has clearly told the civic body there is no scope left for setting any further deadline on the healthcare facilities to hand over the biomedical waste to the common facility at Kundaim run by Ms Biotic Waste Solutions.
Following the government’s directives, MMC Chief Officer on Tuesday asserted that the civic body will not be responsible for the medical waste generated by medical and health centres within the municipal jurisdiction, saying it has been made quite clear to those health organisations how and where to dispose their medical waste through ethical means.
Expressing satisfaction that the government has now instituted the biomedical treatment facility at Kundaim Industrial Estate meant for the proper disposal of medical waste, he has called upon the healthcare units to avail facility to its best capacity.
“As the facility is already in place and functional, all medical and health centres operating in Margao should with immediate effect send their medical waste to the facility. The MMC can neither collect nor provide any deadline to the same and it is not within the preview of the MMC to do so,” he added.
The CO has appealed to all the medical and health centres to coordinate with the biomedical treatment plant at Kundaim as this facility is specialised in the same.
He informed that the MMC has not been collecting biomedical waste as they have no disposal facility of the same. Saying that no biomedical waste is disposed at the Sonsodo by the MMC, the CO has warned of stringent fines against the violators under Section 5 of the Environment Protection Act if anyone is dumping any biomedical waste at any MMC garbage disposal site or bin.
He said during the recently held meeting of stakeholders, the MMC found out that Margao healthcare facilities have not adhered to the government’s directions to enter into MoU with the government-appointed agency at Kundaim, which is most unfortunate. “Out of 303, only 30 have officially tied up with the government appointed agency so far,” he said, adding the MMC will be strict about medical and bio waste being dumped in MMC garbage disposal bins and burning of the same within the city limits as it has been brought to the notice of the MMC by a proactive citizenry in the past.
The CO also referred to the recent circular issued by the Director, Urban Development, Gurudas Pilarnekar wherein clear cut guidelines have been issued to all biomedical waste generators as to how they must go about disposing their waste as per the Bio Medical Waste Management Act 2016.
