Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court has expressed serious concern over the absence of effective biomedical waste disposal mechanisms at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi.
Hearing a public interest petition filed by the Jharkhand Human Rights Confederation, a Division Bench led by Chief Justice M.S. Sonak and Justice Rajesh Shankar found the explanation offered by RIMS authorities to be unsatisfactory.
The court observed that RIMS had failed to adhere to its previous orders mandating scientific and legal disposal of biomedical waste, even after multiple reminders.
The Bench instructed the Director of RIMS to file a detailed affidavit outlining the steps taken so far to finalize the tender for biomedical waste management. The matter will be taken up again on February 2.
The petitioner pointed out that the tender process for appointing a biomedical waste disposal agency was still incomplete. In response, RIMS informed the court that a fresh tender had been issued and the process was currently underway.
RIMS further submitted that it intends to establish a comprehensive waste management framework encompassing biomedical, solid, and dry waste within the hospital campus.
The High Court had earlier expressed strong displeasure over the unchecked dumping of waste at RIMS and had sought a detailed report on the hospital’s waste disposal system.
The petition emphasizes the need for strict implementation of the Biomedical Waste Management and Handling Rules under the Environment (Protection) Act, warning that non-compliance poses serious risks to public health and environmental safety.
With inputs from IANS