In a high-level meeting on Thursday, the State Government decided to take legal action against both Government and private hospitals if found violating bio-medical waste disposal norms.
The Government warned to either close the hospital or disconnect power supply if the bio-medical waste within these hospitals is not disposed off safely within a deadline of the next ten days.
The step had been taken in the context to the repeated warnings of the Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal (NGT) as well as by the State Government, officials stated.
The Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board (CECB) Chairman Aman Kumar Singh told the State Health Secretary Vikassheel that hospitals violating the norms have no right to function in the State.
He suggested Vikassheel to form teams for inspecting hospitals from the block level. Complying with Singh’s directives, CECB Member Secretary Devendra Singh informed of issuing such notices to more than 45 hospitals or nursing homes out of which 10 are facing legal proceedings.
Notably, the Bio-Medical Waste Disposal Rule is also applicable for pathology laboratories and blood banks. Presently, the Rule includes around 1700 medical institutions across the State. Private agencies in Durg-Bhilai, Raigarh, Korba, Raipur and Bilaspur are assigned to dispose off the wastes on contractual basis.