Date:05/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/05/stories/2008120560020300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

14 hospitals ordered to close down

B.S. Ramesh

They have failed to set up biomedical waste treatment plant: Lok Adalat

The order follows a public interest litigation petition
Residents had complained about poor quality of groundwater

BANGALORE: The Lok Adalat on Thursday ordered the closure by December 17 of 14 of the 17 government hospitals in Bangalore, for failing to set up biomedical waste treatment plant.

A Lok Adalat Bench, comprising Justice K.L. Manjunath and Member Yellappa Reddy, passed the landmark order on a public interest litigation (PIL) petition by the erstwhile Bellandur Gram Panchayat seeking a direction to the authorities to supply potable water to residents of Bellandur.

The petition was referred to the Lok Adalat for settling amicably the grievances raised by the residents of Bellandur.

The residents had mainly complained about the poor quality of groundwater and also the heavy pollution levels in the Bellandur tank.

The Lok Adalat had held several sittings to sort out the issue and sought the cooperation of all the government and the civic agencies in this regard. The Adalat had been told by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) and the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) that one of the main reasons for the pollution of water bodies in Bangalore and the groundwater was the unchecked discharge of biomedical waste by hospitals.

The Adalat had issued notices to several civic agencies, including the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the Bangalore Development Agency (BDA), the BWSSB, the KSPCB and the secretaries of Health, Housing, Urban Development, Environment and Ecology departments and asked them to jointly come up with a plan to tackle pollution of water bodies.

Action advised

The KSPCB had consequently conducted a detailed study of groundwater at several places in Bangalore and reported high levels of pollution. The Adalat had then asked the KSPCB to tackle the issue and initiate action against those who violated environmental norms.

The KSPCB had found that all the government hospitals were discharging biomedical waste directly into sewers and storm-water drains, flowing directly into lakes and water bodies.

During the last hearing, the Adalat had given time till December 4 to all the government hospitals in Bangalore to set up plants to treat biomedical waste. The KSPCB was asked to issue notices to the hospitals

The Lok Adalat took serious note of the fact that only three of the 17 hospitals had replied to the notices by the KSPCB. The BWSSB said only three hospitals had submitted plans for setting up the treatment plants and that they had been approved.

The Bench also took note of the fact that the Health Secretary had not attended the sittings on two occasions even though notices were issued to him.

Piqued by the failure of the hospitals to respond positively to its directions, the Bench directed the KSPCB to issue notices to 14 government hospitals asking them to close down by December 17.