Nine scrap yards sealed, owners fined; 32 docs given notice for improper handling of waste

A team of Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) on Wednesday raided nine scrap yards in the city and seized more than 1000 kg of bio-medical waste, including injection syringes, bottles and medicines. The scrap yards have been sealed.

As many as 70 officials, including municipal commissioner Dinesh Brahmbhatt, health officer Hitesh Bhanderi, deputy health officer Dr Pankaj Rathod, environment engineer Nilesh Parmar and others from solid waste management and health department raided 17 places in the city in Lati plot area, Ramnathpara, and slum quarters and held a large quantity of bio-medical waste from nine of them, sources said.

The owners of the nine scrap yards were fined Rs10,000 each by the RMC solid waste department, said Bhanderi. He said officials of Gujarat Pollution Control Board were immediately informed about the scrap yards. As per the rules of bio-medical waste handling and the Environment Protection Act, legal actions will be taken against the owners.

The officials were shocked to see a sweeper working with RMC dumping bio-medical waste in one of the scrap yards. Action against the sweeper will be taken, said an official.

"Notice has been issued to 32 doctors who were found careless in disposing bio-medical waste. Three of them were found to be quacks," said deputy health officer Dr Pankaj Rathod.

"After RMC initiated checks on doctors, clinics and hospitals, 222 doctors have applied for RMC bio-medical waste certificate in the past three days. In all, 45 doctors got themselves registered under nursing rules," said municipal commissioner Brahmbhatt adding, that the physical check-ups of all the labourers working in scrap yards will be held.

Dhimant Kariya/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication