Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
To ensure scientific processing of biomedical waste generated in the city and surrounding areas, the municipal corporation and district administration had appointed a new Biotech company from Goa. The company had already begun operations. However, for establishing a modern plant in Auric City, the company needed a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB). Surprisingly, the board granted this NOC to the former contractor, Nashik-based Watergrace Co., leading to turmoil within the administration.
Watergrace had handled the collection and processing of medical waste for the municipal corporation for nearly 22 years. Due to unsatisfactory performance, both the corporation and the district collectorate had appointed a new biotech company six months ago. This new company began operations at the old plant in Patoda and had plans to set up a state-of-the-art facility in Auric City.
However, the MPCB was reluctant to issue the required NOC for the new setup. In response, the municipal corporation made a detailed presentation to Board Chairman Siddhesh Kadam, highlighting the ground realities. Kadam had assured a positive review of the matter.
Despite this, the Board has now granted the Consent to Establishment for the new plant in Auric City to the old contractor, Watergrace. This decision was made without obtaining the necessary NOCs from the District Monitoring Committee, which includes the Municipal Corporation, the Indian Medical Association (IMA), and the District Collector.
The approval given to Watergrace, bypassing the official NOCs, has put the municipal administration on the back foot and raised serious concerns about procedural transparency and accountability.