Water Grace fails to maintain bio-medical waste collection schedule

Lokmat News Network

Aurangabad, Dec 6:

The Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is receiving complaints relating to poor service rendered by bio-medical waste-collecting agency - Water Grace Products Company, but the civic administration seems to be shielding

the agency for reasons better known to it, it is alleged.

The AMC had shortlisted the agency to collect bio-medical waste from all government and private (big) hospitals. However, the agency would not visit hospitals regularly for the collection of waste claiming that the waste is not being segregated it in a scientific method at source (by the big hospitals). Hence the waste is being collected for 2-3days in a week. Meanwhile, the raw smell starts emanating due to the piling of bio-waste in the hospitals for days at a stretch.

There are 1600 big and small hospitals registered with AMC, apart from the blood banks. The AMC and the Water Grace Co. had signed an agreement. As per the contract, it is mandatory for the agency to collect the bio-medical waste on the same day. The conflict had been taken many times while collecting waste from GMCH and other big hospitals. They had also complained to the civic health administration. However, the AMC has not taken any cognizance in this regard. It is also alleged that the agency is projects less collection of charges online to AMC, although it is collecting lakhs of rupees offline. Despite this, the AMC administration is maintaining silence on the whole issue.

Exploitation by the agency?

It is alleged that the agency's personnel would threaten the small hospitals. There is no question of bio-medical waste generation in the Daycare Centres, but the agency personnel try their best to collect money from them. Why the AMC has given it a free hand is raising eyebrows. The AMC should verify the functioning of the agency, verify the complaints made by the hospitals etc. Hence the action is awaited.