Bombay HC pulls up state, MPCB on disposing untreated COVID waste at Kalyan dumping ground

Amid the surge in the number of COVID-19 cases and the related deaths in the country, the pandemic has given rise to the problem of management and disposal of untreated biomedical waste. Responding to a petition, the Bombay High Court pulled up the state government, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) asking them to respond to the public interest litigation (PIL) on disposal of “untreated” coronavirus-related biomedical waste at Adharwadi dumping ground in Kalyan.

The Court observed that the plea highlighted an important issue of bio-medical waste management. The court directed the pollution control board to inspect the dumping ground and inform if guidelines pertaining to disposal of such biomedical waste were being adhered to.

The PIL was filed by activist Kishor Ramesh Sohoni, through advocate Sadhana Kumar. A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice N J Jamadar made the observations Tuesday while hearing the PIL through video conference and directed KDMC to stop dumping biomedical waste at Adharwadi dumping ground.

According to the PIL, "The authorities have been dumping of biomedical waste from COVID 19 hospitals without treating the same. The biomedical waste of COVID 19 hospitals are directly being dumped regularly in the Aadharwadi dumping ground, which is very dangerous considering the spread and intensity of the COVID 19."

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Karnataka COVID apathy

A video from Ballari district in Karnataka had surfaced which created shockwaves across the country for the way the health workers were dumping dead bodies in a large pit, as captured in the viral video, triggering outrage on social media. 

State Health Minister B Sriramulu said the workers concerned have been suspended and that the health worker should follow the protocol for disposal of bodies. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa expressed shock over the incident.

Expressing shock at the apathetic way COVID-19 bodies were disposed of in Ballari, Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar, on Wednesday demanded that CM BS Yediyurappa must apologise to the nation. He claimed that the way the bodies were dumped in a pit went against India's values and traditions. Shivakumar had shared the video on Tuesday, demanding the government to take immediate action.

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