Power, water connections to be snapped; DHSs to de-register
*Units violating Environmental Laws, BMWM Rules
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Sept 11: In a sweeping crackdown, the Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee (JKPCC) has ordered the closure of 69 healthcare facilities in Jammu and Srinagar districts of the Union Territory for blatant violations of Environmental Laws and the Bio-Medical Waste Management (BMWM) Rules, 2016. Moreover, their power and water connections have been ordered to be snapped, while the Directors of Health Services in both provinces have been directed to de-register these units.
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Official sources told EXCELSIOR that under the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016, consent and authorization from the Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee is mandatory for every institution engaged in generating, collecting, receiving, storing, treating, disposing of or handling biomedical waste in any manner.
They further said that compliance with these rules is also obligatory for every healthcare facility, which must ensure scientific disposal of biomedical waste, along with its proper collection, segregation and treatment. Based on their pollution potential, healthcare facilities are categorized accordingly, and obtaining prior consent/authorization from the J&K Pollution Control Committee is compulsory, along with the adoption of pollution control measures to achieve the prescribed standards of pollution.
Despite repeated notices and opportunities to comply, these 69 healthcare facilities continued to operate without the mandatory consent and authorization from the JKPCC. The latest inspections by the teams of the JKPCC revealed rampant disregard for legal requirements on the segregation, collection, treatment and disposal of hazardous biomedical waste thereby raising serious concerns over public health and environmental safety.
Now, in exercise of powers vested under Section 33(A) of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and Section 31(A) of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, the JKPCC has issued separate orders for the closure of 69 healthcare facilities in Jammu and Srinagar districts.
The Deputy Commissioners of Jammu and Srinagar have been directed to close down these healthcare facilities, while the Directors of Health Services of both provinces have been asked to de-register them, if registered. Moreover, the concerned Executive Engineers of the Public Health Engineering Department and the Power Development Department have been instructed to snap water and electricity connections without delay.
“This is not a minor lapse but a grave violation that threatens both the environment and human health,” a senior JKPCC official said, adding “healthcare facilities cannot be permitted to function in utter contempt of law”. He further said, “unchecked biomedical waste is a silent killer-contaminating water, soil and air. Strict enforcement was the only way to break this cycle of negligence”.
With 69 units ordered to be closed in a single sweep, this is among the largest enforcement actions against healthcare facilities in J&K. Officials hinted that the crackdown will continue, with similar facilities in other districts of the Union Territory set to face action if violations persist.
The Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016 had been notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on 28th March 2016. “Bio-medical Waste” means any waste, which is generated during the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human beings or animals or research activities or in the production or testing of biological or in health camps.
The occupiers, who have administrative control over such institutions, generating, collecting, receiving, storing, treating, disposing or handling biomedical waste are supposed to seek consent to establish/operate under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution Act) 1974 & the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution Act) 1981 and seek authorization under the Bio Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016 and adopt pollution control measures to achieve the prescribed standards of pollution.
The healthcare facilities in Srinagar that face closure include Al-Ameen Hospital (Hyderpora), Imam Hussain Hospital (Bemina), Well Care Medical Institute (Ahmad Nagar), Friends Hospital & Diagnostic Centre (Tengpora Road), Star Hospital (Sanat Nagar Bye Pass), Safa Marwah Medical Centre (Soura), Sheikh-ul-Alam Medical Centre (Karan Nagar), Ahmad’s Hospital (Nowgam), Care Hospital (Bemina), Mubarak Nursing Home (Hyderpora), Jaiyans Medical & Surgical Centre (Noorbagh), Ramzan Hospital (Gogji Bagh), Shifa Medical Centre (Magarmal Bagh), Classic Hospital and MRI Centre (Hyderpora) and Medical Health Service Pvt. Ltd. (Kaka Saria).
In Jammu, such healthcare facilities are Atulya Health Care Centres (Talab Tillo, Gujjar Nagar, Janipur), Air Med Multispecialty OPD & Dental Clinic (Bakshi Nagar), Sharda Dental Solutions (Akhnoor Road), Redcliffe Diagnostics (Talab Tillo, Lakkar Mandi), Smile-n-Shine Dental Clinic (Talab Tillo), Raina Multispecialty Dental Care (Camp Road), Netar Dental Clinic (New Plot), Shiva Diagnostic Lab (Paloura), Trident Diagnostic Laboratory (Red Cross Bhawan), V.K. Diagnostic Lab (New Plot), Dr. Lal Path Lab (Shalamar Road), Apollo Diagnostic Lab (Marh Gajansoo), Army Pathology Labs (Bakshi Nagar and Canal Road), ASCAN Diagnostic Centre (Kachi Chawni), Dhruv Diagnostic Centre (Bakshi Nagar), Sidhi Vinayak Dental Clinic (Lower Roop Nagar), Datta Dental Clinical Lab (Kachi Chawani), Tania Dental Clinic (Talab Tillo), Nadiya Dental Clinic (Akhnoor), Prime Health Care Imaging and Laboratories (Phallian Mandal), Specialist Dental Care (Camp Road, Talab Tillo), Dental Planet (Gole Pulli, Talab Tillo), Dr Vinay Dental Care Clinic (Talab Tillo), Shreya Bhat Clinical Lab (Durga Nagar), Kohli Medicate (Pacca Danga), Dr V K Koul Dental Clinic (Ashok Nagar), Geeta Dental Clinic (Buta Nagar), Kwality Dental Clinic (Canal Road), Kings Dental Clinic (Janipur), Kotwal Dental Clinic (Bakshi Nagar), Koul Dental Clinic (Janipur), Shanker Clinical Lab (Kachi Chawni), Krishna Histopathology/ Clinical Lab (Bakshi Nagar), PSV Diagnostic Lab (Moti Bazar), Prominent Clinical Lab (Near Govt Hospital Sarwal), Pulse Multicare Care (Basant Nagar), Red Cross Lab (Kachi Chawni), Janta Lab (Talab Tillo), Kanta Clinical Lab (Rehari), Gupta Diagnostic Lab (Rehari), Health Care Diagnostic Lab (Subash Nagar), Hindustan Clinical Lab (Sarwal), Dubey Clinical Lab (Canal Road), Dr. Raj Kumar Sharma Clinical Lab (Talab Tillo), Dr. Suneets Suvidha Pet Clinic (New Plot) Agarwal Medicos/ Lab (Talab Tillo), Ajay Clinical Lab (Talab Tillo), Satyam Diagnostic Lab (Moti Bazar), Shree Dental Clinic (Bakshi Nagar) and Shiva Medicate & Clinical Laboratories (Talab Tillo).
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