MPCB denies permission to set up modern medical waste unit in Shendra

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

The municipal corporation entrusted the task of collecting medical waste from government and private hospitals in the city and processing it scientifically to a Biotech company from Goa. The company is currently operating an old facility at Gevrai on Paithan Road, for which the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) granted permission. The company now intends to set up a modern facility at Shendra, but the board is unwilling to grant approval for it.

Previously, a company from Nashik had been handling medical waste collection and processing for the municipal corporation for as long as 22 years. However, it was found that the company was not disposing of the waste at Gevrai in a scientific manner. As a result, the corporation terminated its contract. After reviewing some of the best companies in the country, the Goa-based Biotech company was awarded the work based on its performance.

However, the former contractor allegedly used its influence to ensure that the MPCB did not grant any permissions. With the follow-up efforts of the municipal corporation and the district collectorate, the company was eventually allowed to operate the Gevrai facility. Now, the board is again refusing to grant permission for the construction of the new facility at Auric in Shendra.