Question : DISPOSAL OF HAZARDOUS WASTES

(a) whether the ships of developed Nations are blatantly ignoring the environmental and health related rules and are regularly dumping wastes like medical waste equipments used by Institutes providing civil amenities, bio-medical and electronic-wastes at the Indian ports;

(b) if so, the details thereof along with the port-wise number of such incidents which took place during the last three years;

(c) the details of the action taken by the Government against the importers and exporters of such waste-products in the country; and

(d) the details of any remedial steps taken by the Government to check the dumping of such materials at the Indian Coasts?

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS (SHRIMATI JAYANTHI NATARAJAN)

(a) to (d) The Ministry of Environment and Forests has notified the Hazardous Wastes

(Management, Handling and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2008 (HW Rules), 2008. Import and export of hazardous and other wastes including electrical and electronic assemblies destined for direct reuse are regulated under these Rules. Ports allow cargos to be imported only after clearances from the Customs after ensuring compliance to various regulations including the HW Rules, 2008.

As per information provided the Department of Revenue, action is initiated against the offenders found guilty under the Customs Act, 1962. The details of cases detected by Customs Authorities for the last three years and the current year, port-wise are as under:-

Year	Name of Port/ICD/ CPS	No. Of cases booked
2008-09	Mumbai Port	01
2009-10	Loni ICD	01	Chennai Port	04	Mumbai Port	01
2010-11	Ludhiana CFS	03	Mumbai Port	01	Chennai Port	03	Delhi ICD	01
2011-12	Delhi ICD	01
Up to
Feb.-12