*MD fails to comply with Govt guidelines
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, Oct 1: The upgraded Bio-Medical Waste (BMW) Disposal Plant in SMGS hospital and the newly installed plant at Chest & Diseases (CD) Hospital are lying unused for over one year due to the negligence of the concerned Mechanical Division (MD), which failed to comply with the Government guidelines for Bio-medical waste treatment facilities while erecting Incineration plants at both hospitals.
According to the sources, in view of increasing load of patients and the resultant increase in generation of Bio-medical waste in SMGS hospital, the already existing Incineration plant in the hospital, which was of the capacity of 25 kg/hr, was upgraded to the capacity of 50 kg/hr in the year 2014 by spending an approximate amount of Rs 35 lakh and a similar plant of the capacity of 25 Kg/hr was installed in CD hospital with almost same expenditure but before these plants were handed over to the medical authorities and put to use by the concerned hospitals, the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) raised some objections by citing some shortcomings in the plants and asked the then Executive Engineer, MH&CH Division, Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Jammu vide its letter No SPCB/RDJ/R/14/9536-41 dated November 28, 2014 to comply with the points raised by it and submit the compliance report to the Board within 15 days.
The sources said that the points raised by the Board in the letter were that waste water to be generated from Air Pollution Control Devices has to be treated so as to avoid non-compliance of the regulatory requirements, waste storage area should be designated adjacent to the incinerator room, waste storage area once designated has to be properly ventilated and designated in such a way that waste could be stored in racks and washing could be easily done, floor and inner walls of the incinerator/ storage rooms should have outer covering of impervious and glazed material in order to avoid moisture and the incineration ash should be stored in a closed sturdy container in a masonry room so as to avoid any pilferage and should be disposed in a secured landfill.
“However, the then X-En failed to submit the compliance report within the given period, as in order to comply with the issues raised by the Board there was a need of doing some improvement in both the Incineration plants for which more funds were needed and it was a time consuming period”, the sources alleged.
“For more than a year, the concerned Mechanical Division remained in deep slumber and on February 23, 2015, Superintendent, Mechanical Circle, MED, Jammu, wrote a letter to Principal, GMCH Jammu, seeking an amount of Rs 45 lakh for each plant with proper estimate of would be expenditure on them (Incineration plants)” the sources said, adding, however, till date the Mechanical Division did not receive required funds from the concerned authorities due to which the former could not start improvement work of the Incineration plants and comply with objections raised by the SPCB.
The sources further said that negligence of the Mechanical Division while installing new incineration plant at CD Hospital and upgrading the existing plant at SMGS Hospital cannot be ruled out, which without doing home work started work on both Incineration plants and even ignored Government guidelines for establishment of Bio-medical waste treatment facilities.
When contacted, X-En, MH&CH Division, GMCH Jammu, Ashok Singh said that his office has already written to the Principal, GMCH and submitted the estimate of the expected expenditure on both the Incineration plants to comply with the points raised by the SPCB. As soon as we get required funds, the improvement work on both the plants will be taken and completed on priority basis.
When asked when the funds will be released for these incineration plants, Principal and Dean, GMCH Jammu, Dr Ghansham Dev Gupta, said that they have taken up the issue with the Government and hoping to get the funds for the purpose soon so that the non-functional Incineration plants may be put to use after proper improvement work.
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