MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI GHULAM NABI AZAD)
(a) & (b) As per the annual report submitted by SPCBs/PCCs/Directorate General of Armed Forces
Medical Services (DGAFMS) for the year 2010, some of the Health Care Facilities (HCFs)/Common
Bio-Medical Waste Treatment Facilities (CBWTFs) are reported to be violating the provisions of
the Bio-Medical Waste (Management &Handling) Rules, 1998 notified under the Environment
(Protection) Act, 1986.
As far as three central government hospitals namely Dr. RML Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital and
LHMC under the Directorate General of Health Services are concerned, they are disposing Bio-
medical waste as per the BMW rules.
(c) to (e) Health being a state subject, it is the responsibility of the concerned State
Government to take necessary steps to monitor the disposal of biomedical wastes through
the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs)/Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) in the
Union Territories, as per the provisions made under the Bio-medical waste (Management
& Handling) Rules in 1998, as amended in the years 2000 & 2003. The State Pollution
Control Boards (SPCBs)/Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) are the prescribed authorities
to grant authorization for the BMW Management. They are empowered to ensure the compliance
of provisions of these Rules.
As per the Bio-Medical Waste (BMW) (Management & Handling) Rules, 1998, every occupier of an
institution generating BMW has to ensure that such waste is handled without any adverse effect
to human health and environment. The Bio-Medical Waste is required to be segregated according
to the colour code for containers/bags prescribed in Schedule-II of the BMW Rules. Further, it
is the responsibility of the occupier to treat and dispose of bio-medical waste in accordance
with treatment and disposal options mentioned in Schedule-I of the aforesaid Rules.
The State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) in the Union
Territories are the designated Prescribed Authorities for ensuring implementation of the Bio-
medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998, notified under the Environment (Protection)
Act, 1986. The Government of India have delegated necessary powers vested in it under Section 5
of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to all the SPCBs and PCCs in UTs, to issue directions
to any industry or any other authority for violation of standards and Rules, inter-alia,
relating to Bio-medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998. The SPCBs/PCCs are
required to closely monitor the implementation of the Rules by the Health Care Establishments
(HCEs) and take necessary legal actions against the establishments which violate these Rules.
An inter-ministerial Committee of Senior Officers at the Central level has been constituted
comprising representatives from the Ministry of Environment & Forests, Ministry of Health &
Family Welfare, Ministry of Urban Development and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)
to review the implementation of Bio-Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules in the country.
