To take to streets against PMC's bio-medical waste policy, exorbitant
charges on June 27
Hundreds of representatives of several city-based doctors’ associations will take to the streets on June 27 in protest against the unsatisfactory services and exorbitant charges of the biomedical waste collection facility run by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
Speaking to media persons on Friday, doctors said that they would take out a morcha from Shaniwarwada to the PMC building sensitising people along the way about their problems and demands.
Of the estimated 8,000 clinics and dispensaries within PMC limits, only 2,200-odd have registered for biomedical waste facility. Since last two years, many doctors have not paid the annual fees to the civic body for lifting bio-medical waste generated at their clinics. In May 2013, PMC initiated a special drive to register clinics under the facility and has recently sent a notice stating that those clinics refusing to pay up or register by June 30, 2013 will be levied a fine of Rs 10,000.
Doctors said that the charges have been hiked by PMC as per their wish and are much higher than the specified norms of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB). They also claimed that the PMC’s service is not up to the mark.
“We started protesting against the services in 2000 when the charges were Rs 1 per day. Last year, the charges were Rs 2,600 and this year the amount is Rs 3000. Our associations were in discussions with civic authorities for the past two months but before anything was finalised, they took this arbitrary decision,” said Dr Vivek Billampelly, vice-president, Indian Medical Association (Maharashtra state).
President of General Practitioners’ Association Dr Sunil Paigude said that unlike other municipal corporations, the PMC doesn’t provide doorstep service to clinics. “They have made one drop-off point and have odd timings. We can’t leave our patients waiting to go drop waste but the PMC refuses to budge,” he said.
Meanwhile, IMA president Dr Maya Tulpule said that doctors have agreed to pay the charges if the PMC improve its services and discuss the rates.
Acting chief medical officer of PMC Dr S T Pardeshi said that enough time was given to doctors before serving notices. “Let them pay the charges before demanding services,” he added.
2,200 registrations
Of the estimated 8,000 clinics and dispensaries within PMC limits, only 2,200-odd have registered for biomedical waste facility. Biomedical waste includes syringes, blood-soaked bandages, human products and waste left during surgeries as well as expired medicines that have to be disposed of scientifically.
Rs10,000 fine
In May 2013, PMC initiated a special drive to register clinics under the facility and has recently sent a notice stating that those clinics refusing to pay up or register by June 30, 2013 will be levied a fine of Rs 10,000
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