Madurai: Public interest activist B Sarmesh Khan on Monday petitioned the Madurai district collector, seeking the establishment of a permanent Common Bio-Medical Waste Treatment Facility (CBWTF), a detailed inquiry into biomedical waste management, and legal action against violators.In his petition, Khan said biomedical waste generated by govt hospitals, medical colleges, private hospitals, clinics, laboratories, dental hospitals, veterinary hospitals and other healthcare institutions in the district was increasing steadily.Citing Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) data, he said Madurai generates nearly 4.5 tonnes of biomedical waste every day. “The absence of adequate scientific treatment and disposal infrastructure for handling such a large volume of waste is a matter of serious public concern,” he said.Khan said he had sought information from the TNPCB under the Right to Information Act, but several key queries remained unanswered, raising doubts over the effective implementation of the Biomedical Waste Management Rules.He also alleged that complaints of biomedical waste being dumped in open areas, left unattended in hospitals for prolonged periods and not being removed on time continued to surface. “Such practices pose serious risks to public health, the environment, groundwater and air quality,” he said.The petition urged the district administration to establish a modern CBWTF in Madurai, constitute a district-level committee to review biomedical waste management, and conduct surprise inspections at govt and private healthcare institutions.It also sought criminal and administrative action against those responsible for illegal dumping and rule violations, creation of a district-level monitoring mechanism in coordination with the TNPCB, and greater transparency by making information on the collection, transportation and treatment of biomedical waste publicly accessible.
