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City awaits bio-medical waste, garbage treatment plants

Wednesday, 19 August 2009 11:00 administrator
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Indian Express 19.08.2009

City awaits bio-medical waste, garbage treatment plants

It will be a year in September since a blast at the bio-medical waste treatment facility at Kailash crematorium near Naidu Hospital killed seven of its employees. The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) closed down the facility and till date the authorities have been unable to find an alternative treatment facility for city’s bio-medical waste. The result: about 1,250 kg of hazardous bio-medical waste gets carried to Chinchwad, Talegaon, Satara and Taloja (some 140 km from Thane) for treatment.

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) cancelled its contract with Sun Enviro Management Private Limited that was running the bio-medical waste disposal plant following the accident. It has been only two months that Passco Environment Solutions has been awarded the contract to upgrade the bio-medical waste facility at Kailash crematorium and the new facility will start working next month.

But the undue delay in restarting the treatment plant has been questioned as the new facility is coming up exactly where the earlier one was situated; there was no land acquisition or other time-consuming issues involved. Since January 2009, Passco, that is already handling the bio-waste treatment in Pimpri-Chinchwad, has been picking up the waste from hospitals/ clinics in the city.

“So far we have three vehicles collecting the waste from over 700 hospitals and 1,200 clinics. Four more vehicles will soon be pressed into service. The work was like building a factory here,” said Pradeep Mulay, director, Passco. The incinerator will have the capacity to dispose of 150 kg bio-medical waste every hour.

“Lessons need to be learnt especially as Pune has seen many deaths due to swine flu. Improper handling of the bio-medical waste can lead to a larger health hazard. People are not careful about disposing of used masks. This is scary as the virus, if present, can last from two to eight hours on a solid surface. A city like Pune should have had an immediate alternative in place instead of sending the waste so many kilometres away, “ said Dr Dilip Sarda, city unit chief of the IMA.

According to P K Mirashe, regional officer, MPCB, notices had been served to several doctors for not properly disposing their waste. It was only after the threat of cancelling their registrations that several doctors had paid fines and joined the waste disposal system.

Garbage dumping

With a December deadline for closure of the dumping of garbage at Uruli Devachi village staring at the city, the PMC is yet to identify an alternative site for dumping city’s 1,300 tonnes of garbage generated every day. “The civic body has given assurance to villagers of Uruli Devachi that dumping of garbage will be stopped by December. The civic body is talking to the district collectorate about the issue,” deputy municipal commissioner Suresh Jagtap said. A couple of alternative sites have been located, but no concrete decision has been taken yet. He said, “The civic body is also constructing small bio-gas plants so that the garbage generated within the area is disposed of there itself.”

Last Updated on Wednesday, 19 August 2009 11:08
 

Kerala sets apart 50 pc seats in civic bodies for women

Wednesday, 19 August 2009 10:46 administrator
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Indian Express 19.08.2009

Kerala sets apart 50 pc seats in civic bodies for women

In a major pro-women policy initiative, the CPI(M)-led LDF government in Kerala on Wednesday decided to set apart 50 per cent of elected seats in panchayats and all other local bodies for women.

Announcing this after a cabinet meeting, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said a special session of the state Assembly would be convened from September 8 to 17 to bring in a legislation in this regard.

The liaison committee of the coalition government had last week evolved a consensus among the ruling front partners to formulate such policy.

Presently, 33 per cent of seats in civic bodies are constitutionally guaranteed for women. If necessary, states have powers to bring in amendments to their respective laws to enhance women's representation up to 50 per cent. States like Chattisgargh, Bihar and Maharashtra have already taken initiative in this direction.

The amendment would also help increase women's representation on administrative panels of civic bodies like standing committees, giving them a decisive say on important matters like Budget allocations for welfare schemes. LDF circles hailed this as a crucial aspect since many of the welfare schemes concerning women and children were now being implemented through local bodies.

Greater presence of women on civic bodies would make formulation of schemes, budget allocations and implementation far more gender-sensitive, they said.

Kerala has 999 village panchayats, 152 block panchayats, 14 district panchayats, 53 municipalities and five city corporations.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 19 August 2009 10:59
 

PMC gets ready to create silent zones

Wednesday, 19 August 2009 10:22 administrator
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The Times of India 19.08.20009

PMC gets ready to create silent zones

TNN 19 August 2009, 04:19am IST

PUNE: Municipal corporations have been asked to create silence zones within 100 metres of all educational institutions, hospitals, courts, places of worship, as well as impose restrictions at construction sites with immediate effect. The Pune Municipal Corporation, which received the government notification on Monday, is all set to notify the silence zones and take other measures to curb noise pollution.

For effective implementation of the noise pollution (control and regulation) rules, 2000, the environment department of the state government has also asked various state organisations, including municipal corporations and the police department, to appoint officers who will be the designated authorities to take the necessary action against noise pollution.

Member secretary of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, Mahesh Pathak, told TOI that it has been two months since the notification was issued and that for effective implementation and public knowledge, the notification has been published. All the concerned authorities will be implementing the noise pollution control and regulation rules. For various departments, the concerned authorities have been specified, he said.

Speaking to TOI, additional municipal commissioner of the Pune Municipal Corporation, Umakant Dangat said the PMC received the notification on Monday. "We will have to carry out a survey of all the silence zones before notifying them. The notification has all the guidelines and we will act accordingly," he said.

As per the notification, the municipal corporation will be required to designate an officer (either the municipal commissioner, or additional or deputy commissioner) as the authority for implementing the noise control rules. The authority will be required to ensure enforcement of noise standards laid down under the environment (protection) rules, 1986 at source at construction projects, utilities for buildings (air-conditioners, diesel generator sets), and domestic appliances.
Importantly, the municipal corporations have been asked to include an action plan for noise control in the environment status report which is submitted annually. The action plan should include noise monitoring and noise mapping studies, the government has said. The corporation will not grant permission for development activities which are in conflict with the categorization of the zone.

Besides the municipal corporation, the police department, which will also have a designated authority for preventing noise pollution, will be required to initiate legal actions regarding violations. Heads of the government hospitals and schools will be required to enforce rules for maintaining the ambient noise standards for domestic appliances, and automobiles in their jurisdictions.
Similarly, the state transport department, regional transport office, Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation and the traffic police authorities (not below the rank of deputy superintendent of police) will be required to enforce rules regarding noise standards laid down under the environment (protection) rules, 1986 and motor vehicles Act, 1939.
 
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