The National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued notices to Ministries of Health and Family Welfare, Environment & Forests and others on Friday based on a demand to ban mercury-based equipments in hospitals to prevent spillage of the metal which causes major diseases. The green bench has sought their replies within two weeks on the issue.
The bench was hearing a plea by lawyer Suryajyoti Singh Paul, who approached the panel against failure in management of bio-medical waste containing mercury in various parts of the country. Paul referred to the Kodaikanal mercury poisoning case where Hindustan Unilever was accused of contaminating a lake in the process of making thermometers, which subsequently led to the closure of the factory in 2001.The matter is listed for next hearing on March 17.
In another hearing, the green bench directed Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on Friday to submit within a week the inspection report on the waste-to-energy and thermal power plants in the capital, in a bid to address the growing waste management problem.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar expressed concern over delay in operationalisation of these plants and directed the high-powered team constituted by it to submit the report expeditiously.