Moga, February 3: A division bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court comprising Justice Ajay Kumar Mittal and Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal has issued show-cause notices to various departments of the state government and the Municipal Corporation (MC) of Moga for having failed to take legal action against 54 private hospitals for violations of building bylaws, medical waste rules and environment laws.
The hearing has been fixed for March 16. The notices have also been issued individually to all these hospitals.A social activist of Moga, Suresh Sood, filed a petition in public interest before the HC claiming that 54 private hospitals within the local body limits did not have any proper parking and other facilities (lifts and ramps) for patients.
He alleged that these have also not obtained “no objection certificate” (NOC) and licence from the Punjab Pollution Control Board, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), Deputy Commissioner, Moga, and the Municipal Corporation to work and operate within the local body limits as per rules.
Allegedly, owners of these hospitals have not complied with the provisions of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001. They have also allegedly not obtained any NOC under the Medical Waste Rules from the Punjab Pollution Control Board.
The owners of hospitals allegedly set medical waste ablaze and put the garbage in the MC dump.The Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Moga, issued notices to these private hospitals under Sections 269 (1) of the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, but the owners have not submitted any satisfactory reply, the petitioner claimed.
The petitioner further alleged that the owners of private hospitals were hand in glove with senior officers of the MC, PPCB and PSPCL.
Source Tribune India
