A dump of bio medical waste right inside Palamu tiger reserve Garu East range at Haratu triggered feverish search and action both in PTR and health and administrative officials of Latehar administration.
A consignment of used syringes, needles, blister packs, vials etc were found dumped at Haratu in PTR’s Garu East range on Friday.
Alarmed by this throw away of bio medical waste in tiger reserve the deputy director South division of PTR M K Mahaling pressed in his ranger and forest guards to find out as to who did this dumping putting wild life of PTR at risk.
As the dump was of medical waste the first suspicion grew towards hospitals of Latehar and Garu. Civil Surgeon of Latehar S P Sharma denied to have any knowledge of this dump of bio medical waste in PTR saying Nagar Panchayat of Latehar would be the right institution to explain this. Sharma further said dumping of waste is done under order of SDO.
On the other hand SDO Latehar J P Jha made a logical point when he said this issue is related to Garu and Garu is not in the territorial jurisdiction of sub divisional magistrate (SDM) Latehar.
Jha said this officer should have the basic knowledge of Latehar and Garu which is too far from each other nearly 40 Kms and should any SDO order for dumping at such a far off place when there is Nagar Panchayat in Latehar?
Taking a serious umbrage of what Sharma said Jha said, “A man holding the post of civil surgeon is expected to make responsible reference instead of indulging in such mindless observation.”
Mahuadarn SDO, Sudhir Das as Garu comes under his territorial jurisdiction and got an identical reply from Das what Jha had said earlier when Das said, “I have no information about this dump. Let me check it with my BDO.”
Mahendra Ravidas BDO Garu when quizzed about this too expressed his inability to say anything on this dump as he said, “I have no such news with me.”
It was the PTR team that took the lid off from this dump issue. The bio medical waste was of a village doctor Pradeep Sao of Haratu village said M K Mahaling quoting his ranger Garu Ashok K Singh.
Mahaling said, “Sao had these waste thrown in PTR. Among the waste were some bills also where was printed the name of a medical store in Daltonganj.”
Garu ranger Ashok K Singh said, “Village doctor Sao has admitted his folly. He has admitted to have thrown these wastes in PTR. He has in writing apologized for it with an assurance that there will be no repeat of it again.”
Mahaling and Singh both said, “As this was the first blunder of this village doctor he has been given a reprieve this time otherwise invocation of sections under environmental protection act will be most inevitable in such matter as none has any right to jeopardize the wild life.”
Mahaling further said, “We keep on collecting polythene bags in PTR thrown by people most unmindfully and here dump of bio medical waste can never be tolerated and offenders in future will e most severely dealt with under suitable provisions of act of environment protection which states that users are to ensure safe disposal of bio medical waste and if a user does do not do this is liable for penal action.”
