The All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) does not have an operational sewage treatment plant,the National Green Tribunal (NGT) was informed on Friday. The tribunal termed the findings of the expert committee shocking. When we hear about lowered standards at AIIMS,it hurts. It shocks us. Sad thing that an institution of your status is behaving like this. You have social obligations, a bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said. The committee also said eight other hospitals,including Safdarjung and Lady Hardinge,have no such facility. The AIIMS has,however,contended that the STP was functional and was non-operational only on the date of inspection. The NGT bench then directed the hospital to ensure that an alternative system is put in place. The bench was apprised about the current waste management status in Delhi hospitals by the expert panel which conducted fresh inspections in 17 hospitals,including Ram Manohar Lohia,Kalawati Saran and Sucheta Kriplani,in line with the tribunals August 23 order. The expert committee,comprising members from the Central Pollution Control Board,Delhi Pollution Control Committee and Environment Protection Training and Research Institute,did not submit a report,but informed the bench that while hospitals were complying with bio-medical waste rules,eight of them,including Safdarjung,Lady Hardinge,Sucheta Kriplani,Kalawati Saran and Bara Hindu Rao,were yet to install STPs. They have started the process though. Expressing its displeasure,the bench remarked that government hospitals,particularly AIIMS,should try to rectify deficiencies,instead of hiding them. These government hospitals serve a larger section of society. Lots of poor people go to these hospitals. Dont let a poor man get infected. Greatest fear of people when they get admitted to a government hospital is that of contracting an infection and this fear is not without reason, the NGT said. The tribunal gave the committee a week to submit a report,including the sanitation standards of government hospitals. Next hearing is on October 31. Keep DPCC out of poll duty: NGT Taking note of the expert panels submission that a large number of small private clinics and nursing homes in Delhi were violating biomedical waste rules,the NGT on Friday directed surprise inspections in these establishments. A bench headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar also made it clear that the engineers of the Delhi Pollution Control Committees (DPCC) biomedical waste section not be burdened with any other work such as election duty since public health is more important than elections. ENS
