Court directes inquiry into medical waste management

Cuttack, Aug 20 (UNI) Orissa High Court has directed retired High Court judge Justice Purnachandra Mishra to inquire into the irregularoties in the management of medical waste produced in three medical colleges of the state.

Acting on a PIL filed by Maitri Sansad, a city-based NGO, a division bench of the court comprising Chief Justice Ashok Kumar Ganguly and Justice Indrajit Mohanty recently also ordered a complete inquiry into the matter within the next three months and submission of a report to the Judicial Registrar of the court by October 30.

In a PIL filed in 2003, Mr Rabinarayan Mohapatra, on behalf of the the NGO, had alleged that three medical colleges - Sriramchandra Bhanja Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, MKCG Medical College and Hospital, Berhampur and VSS Medical College and Hospital, Burla were disposing medical wastes in violation of the Medical Waste Management Rule 1998, thereby posing a serious threat to the health of the people.

Acting on the petition, the court then directed the State Pollution Control Board(SPCB) to monitor the process in which the medical colleges were disposing wastes and take action as per rule.

Later, the court directed the SPCB to inquire and submit a report to the court within three months stating how the medical wastes posed a health hazard to the people.

The court expressed its displeasure as SPCB authorities showed their negligence towards the implementation of the order and then directed Justice(Retd) Purnachandra Mishra to inquire into the matter.

UNI