Jharkhand HC directs state to appoint nodal officer to ensure proper biomedical waste disposal

Ranchi, Feb 26 (PTI) The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday directed the state government to appoint a secretary-level nodal officer to oversee the functioning of health institutions and hospitals to ensure proper disposal of biomedical waste.

A division bench of Chief Justice MS Sonak and Justice Rajesh Shankar, while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) on improper disposal of biomedical waste, also ordered the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board to prepare a district-wise list of authorised treatment plants for disposal and recycling of biomedical waste.

The bench observed that "pollution-free air, water and natural resources are a fundamental right guaranteed to every citizen of the state." It cautioned that violation of norms set by authorities will attract strict penalties and punishment.

The court further directed that hospitals with more than 30 beds must constitute a Biomedical Waste Management Committee to monitor and supervise the disposal of waste generated in the facility.

The PIL, filed in 2012 by the Jharkhand Human Rights Conference, highlighted irregularities in biomedical waste disposal in the state, particularly in Ranchi, Dhanbad and Jamshedpur.

Following continuous monitoring by the HC for over a decade, six common biomedical waste treatment facilities have been set up in Ramgarh, Lohardaga, Dhanbad, Pakur and Deoghar.

A sixth plant in Giridih is currently under construction, the government informed the court. PTI CORR NAM MNB