97 healthcare facilities served notices for violating biomedical waste management rules

The Haryana State Pollution Control Board’s (HSPCB) regional office in Gurugram served show-cause notices to 97 healthcare facilities on Tuesday for failing to comply

The Haryana State Pollution Control Board’s (HSPCB) regional office in Gurugram served show-cause notices to 97 healthcare facilities on Tuesday for failing to comply with the Centre’s Biomedical Waste Management (BMWM) Rules, 2016.

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Officials said that these facilities, including mid-level hospitals, private clinics, nursing homes and even laboratories, have not taken official permission from the HSPCB for collecting, storing, handling, transporting and treating hazardous disposable biomedical waste.

Officials said that Tuesday’s notice was an “ultimatum” against these defaulters, all of whom have been served similar notices in the past. “After the BMWM Rules were enacted in 2016, we have served all of them at least two, if not more, notices.This year, we organised multiple ‘authorisation camps’ throughout the month of February, so that proprietors or representatives could come in to clear the formalities in the single day,” said Kuldeep Singh, regional officer, HSPCB, Gurugram, adding that these camps had not seen much success.

A redacted copy of the Tuesday’s show-cause notice, addressed to the healthcare facilities directly (a copy of which is with Hindustan Times), states, “In case you fail to comply with the observation, it will be presumed you have nothing to say in this regard and have accepted the status as mentioned above, which will warrant action under the provisions of the Environment Protection Act, 1986, for the said violation (sic).”

As per the rules, the punitive action includes prosecution, closure and levying of environmental compensation. Violators may also be subjected to imprisonment for a year or more.