‘PMC turning blind eye to sex determination’

Former mayor Rajlaxmi Bhosale and corporators of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Tuesday alleged that some city doctors and hospitals were carrying out sex determination tests (SDTs) despite a national ban.

Raising the issue during the general body meeting, Bhosale said that she recently attended a meeting on SDTs in which some participants claimed that the tests were being openly done in Pune despite the fact that the Preconception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994, was in place. She said the participants also alleged that there was poor vigilance in the city.

PMC’s acting health officer, RR Pardeshi, denied that the civic body is not keeping a vigil on the issue.

“There is constant monitoring of  411 sonography centres in the city. The PMC has also taken action against 12 centres,” he claimed.

Congress corporator Siddharth Dhende claimed that many unauthorised centres are operating in mobile vans and on the outskirts of Pune. These centres are openly conducting SDTs in the PMC’s jurisdiction. “What is the civic administration doing about it?” he asked.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) corporator Babu Vagaskar said the PMC is short-staffed to keep a regular check on these centres. He appealed to the municipal commissioner to appoint more staff for the purpose.

Independent corporator Ujwal Keskar asked the PMC administration to publish names of the 12 hospitals and doctors against whom action has been taken. The civic authorities promised to do so. Pune’s current sex ratio stands at 830 for 1,000 men.