HC asks govt to set up committee to examine waste disposal

Srinagar, Mar 11 (UNI) Expressing dissatisfaction over the way bio-medical waste of private and govenment hospitals was being dumped in the state, Jammu and Kashmir High Court has directed the state government to constitute an experts committee to examine the whole gamut of disposal of bio-medical and solid waste.

A division bench of the High Court, comprising Chief Justice Bashir Ahmad Khan and Justice Bashir Ahmad Kirmani pulled up the authorities for breach of its orders in dumping of garbage in flagrant violation and breach of bio-medical waste rules.

In its judgment on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a law student Farha Khan, the court expressed strong resentment over unscientific dumping of bio-medical waste of private and government hospitals.

This court do not feel satisfied with the way the problem of disposal management and handling of bio-medical waste was being dealt with by the authorities concerned, the Court said and observed that medical superintendents of government hospitals were only doing lip-service in the matter as was evident from the Inspection Committee report.

The court further said that the report raises a very serious concern about the work of disposal management of government hospitals not to speak of management of private hospitals, which still are not roped in by the two Directors of Health Service of Jammu and Kashmir.

The petitioner in the PIL has sought implementation of provisions of Municipal Solid Waste and Bio Medical Waste (Management and Handling) 2000 and 1998 rules respectively and demanded installation of sufficient garbage containers and dustbins in and around the capital city.

The petitioner has submitted before the court that SMC was openly disposing off the garbage including hazardous bio-medical waste like used cotton, swabs and bandages and left it uncovered at Achan Saidapora-Eidgah in the down-town city here for past 20 years.

The residents of nine villages around the garbage dump had submitted before the court that the garbage, including medical waste discharges in Anchar lake which is located only 250 meters away from the dumping site.

The memorandum submitted before the Court by the residents of these affected villages surrounding Achan dumping site prima facie makes an alarming reading. It would be no good to jump to conclusions at this stage but the grievance highlighted by them surely requires and deserves an urgent attention and consideration, the court said.

The court also directed the Registrar Judicial to send the copies of the Expert Committee report, memorandum of the residents and report of Sewage Management Plan as approved by the Supreme Court to Housing and Urban Department, the Health Minister and the Chief Secretary to examine the problems and take suitable steps to save the population from contracting diseases.

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