PANJIM: Margao Municipal Council Chief Officer Agnelo Fernandes has stated that the civic body will not be responsible for the bio-medical waste generated by medical and health centres within the MMC’s jurisdiction and that it has been made quite clear to those health organisations how and where to dispose their medical waste through ethical means.
The CO expressed happiness that the government has now instituted the Common Biomedical Waste Treatment (CBWT) Plant at Kundaim Industrial Estate meant for the proper disposal of bio-medical waste and all those affiliated with this facility must avail the same to its best capacity.
“As the facility is already in place and functional, all medical and health centres operating in Margao should with immediate effect send their medical waste to the facility, the MMC can therefore neither collect nor provide any deadline to the same and it is not within the preview of the MMC to do so,” said Fernandes.
The CO has appealed to all the medical and health centres to coordinate with the CBWT plant at Kundaim as this facility is specialised in the same. He added that the MMC has not been collecting bio-medical waste as they have no disposal facility of the same.
The CO also took responsibility to claim that no bio-medical waste is disposed of at Sonsoddo by the MMC.
“If anyone is dumping any bio-medical waste at any MMC garbage disposal site or bin, they are doing so at their own risk and if caught by the MMC, stringent fines will be imposed including action under Section 5 of Environmental Protection Act which is punishable with imprisonment,” he said,
The CO also reiterated that the MMC has a no-nonsense approach and zero tolerance to any garbage violators who may be littering garbage unauthorised and if brought to the notice of the MMC, such acts will not be spared and will be dealt with as per the prevailing rules.
While reasoning that he intends that everyone involved must comply with the directions given by the government, the CO said it was in this interest that he had organised the meeting of all stakeholders last week with an effort to assist everyone through his offices for the smooth enforcement of the government orders.
“During the recently held meeting of stakeholders, the MMC found out that Margao healthcare facility groups have not adhered to the government’s directions to enter into Memorandum of Understanding with the government appointed agency at Kundaim, which is most unfortunate,” he added.
“Out of 303 only 30 have officially tied up with the government appointed agency so far,” he added.
In the larger interest of the town, the CO said he can be a prompt felicitator with those who wish to expedite the immediate compliance of government initiatives and efforts to resolve the issues of bio-medical waste disposal.
“MMC will be strict about medical and bio-waste being dumped in MMC garbage disposal bins and burning of the same within the city limits as it has been brought to the notice of the MMC by a proactive citizenry in the past,” he said.
The CO also referred to the recent circular issued by the Director of Municipal Administration (DMA) Gurudas Pilarnekar wherein clear cut guidelines have been issued to all bio-medical waste generators as to how they must go about disposing their waste as per the recently amended Solid Waste Management Act 2016.
The CO also cited the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) circular about the bio-medical waste disposal at Kundaim.
The CO appealed to bio-medical waste generators to avail this common facility in terms of Solid Waste Management Act 2016.
