Conduct surprise inspection of pvt clinics, nursing homes: NGT

Taking note of an expert panel's submission that a large number of small private clinics and nursing homes in Delhi are violating biomedical waste rules, National Green Tribunal today directed surprise inspections of these establishments to see how they dispose of their waste.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar also made it clear that the engineers of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee's (DPCC) biomedical waste section be not burdened with any other work like election duty as "public health is more important that elections".
"It has been brought to our notice that a large number of private clinics and nursing homes are operating in Delhi and are violating biomedical waste rules, causing danger to environment and public health. The committee is to conduct surprise inspections of these clinics and small nursing homes.

"The committee is to submit a report in relation to the collection, segregation and disposal of biomedical waste by the small private clinics and nursing homes," the bench said and listed the matter on October 31 for further hearing.
The DPCC informed the bench that most of its environment engineers in the bio-medical waste section have been put on election duty by the election commission.
"Public health is more important than elections. Environment engineers working in biomedical waste section of DPCC be not burdened with any other duty," the bench said.
The observations and directions came after the expert committee-comprising members from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), DPCC and Environment Protection Training and Research Institute (EPTRI)-informed the NGT that there are a large number of small private clinics and nursing homes in the capital who have no BMW management system in place.

The submissions were made by the expert committee while informing the tribunal about the current status of the BMW management status of the various government hospitals here, including AIIMS.