Even as the deadline for the implementation of the Bio-medical Waste (Treatment and Disposable) Act, 1997, expired on 31 December 2002, there appears no move from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) and the Tamil Nadu government to speed up the commissioning of the common incinerator for hospitals located in the metro. And bearing the brunt are the small hospitals and nursing homes, which do not have in-house incinerator but use the municipal garbage bin to dump off bio-medical wastes.

A private party, Healing Mediaids is ready to set up the common incinerator at Melakotiyur on the western outskirts of the metro but the TNPCB nor the Tamil Nadu government have acquired the land and handed it over to the private party for setting up and commissioning the common incinerator. All this when the site, where the incinerator is to come up, has been identified.

The private party was almost through with the details of the incinerator at its own site in Navalur when the TNPCB stepped in, claiming hazards to the information technology corridor, Navalur coming under this corridor.

The TNPCB has made it mandatory for the hospitals use the common incinerator, which the private party is setting up. As a result of the delay small hospitals and nursing homes are left to using the municipal garbage bins for the disposal of the bio-medical wastes when they are clear that they would be hauled up under the Act.

"Sufficient funds are required to set up an in-house incinerator. But when the TNPCB comes out with an order claiming usage of the common incinerator is a must, what is the use of having an in-house incinerator, " asks a senior hospital administrator working with a medium size hospital.

Corporate hospitals in the metro though using their own in-house incinerator also have a problem with the directive of the TNPCB. "While we continue to use our in-house incinerator the directive of the TNPCB is bothering us. There is an inevitable delay in commissioning the common incinerator and we cannot wait for such time till it becomes a reality," said a source in Malar Hospitals, one of the well known corporate hospitals in Chennai, on anonymity terms.

Thus corporate hospitals, medium size hospitals and nursing homes are all bothered by the directive as well as the delay. But they have no way out except use their in-house incinerator or use the municipal garbage bin for disposal of bio-medical waste. " We are trying to speed up the process of commissioning the common incinerator, but you see there are delays happening. We should be able to sort out the matter, " said a source in TNPCB.

Further, TNPCB has already sent notices to around 110 hospitals, small, medium and corporate hospitals and nursing homes, to comply with the Act or get hauled up. Though no action has been taken against the hospitals violating the norms of the Act, hospitals administrators fear that TNPCB could take action without following up on the issue of the common incinerator.

The idea of hospitals coming together and setting up common incinerator has been played down by the TNPCB. It clearly wants a common incinerator to be used by these hospitals. And this has further worsened the situation.