Biomedical waste dumped on Outer Ring Road yet again

“This is the second time that the biomedical waste is being dumped in the same location. After frequent complaints to TNPCB, they cleared it. But it has been dumped yet again, and is lying there for a week. In the recent case, there is a bill along with waste but the officials are yet to inspect the place. The contractors, without taking the medical waste to the incinerators, are dumping them in empty plots and burning it overnight,” said Pughazhvendan V, an activist.

The residents claimed that though they had complained to the local body after finding the waste on Sunday, no action has been taken. They added that the officials had promised that they would inspect the place regularly to ensure that the people did not have to face the issue again.

When DT Next contacted the medical shop after getting details from the dumped bills, the shop owner claimed that the medicines and syringes were thrown away by a medical laboratory at Otteri. “We return the expired medicines to the private firm from where we purchased them. But the sanitary workers collect the empty medicine boxes and strips, and usually burn them at empty plots. We have also told the labs that buy from us not to dump the waste in public places,” said Vinoth Kumar who owns a medical shop at Otteri.

G Gopalakrishnan, Joint Chief Environment Engineer, TNPCB said, “We are continuously monitoring all the healthcare facilities, the common biomedical waste treatment and disposal facilities. The distributors and stockists should hand over expired medicines to the manufacturers or give it to the contractors for disposal. In case of any violation, action will be taken by the local bodies against them.”