Vadodara: Medical waste, which requires strict handling and disposal protocols, was shockingly found dumped in Vadodara’s Gotri Garden — one of the city’s most popular recreational spaces.Around 425 kg of biomedical waste, allegedly from a prominent multi-speciality hospital, was discovered in several plastic bags strewn across the garden on Monday evening. The sight angered regular walkers and raised serious concerns about public health and safety.People informed the local councillor as well as workers of political parties about the waste.Officials of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC), Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB), and the Gotri police station also rushed to the garden. Officials said that the waste was that generated in the private hospital in the city, as papers and other materials with the name of the hospital were found along with the garbage.VMC officials questioned the security guards at the garden about the garbage. “A tractor-trolley comes to the garden daily to collect garden waste from a designated spot where the waste is collected. The tractor-trolley earlier picked up the garbage from the hospital. It dumped the hospital waste at the site and took the garden waste,” said VMC director of security, parks and gardens, Dr Mangesh Jaiswal.Jaiswal said that a notice was issued to the security agency regarding the issue. He added that one of the guards saw the biomedical waste and even called the tractor driver. “The tractor driver did not respond to his calls, and the guard later informed others,” said Jaiswal.The solid waste management department slapped a notice to the contractor who collected the waste and dumped it at the site. “In all, the waste weighed around 425kg, and 2 to 2.5kg of it was biomedical waste,” said the head of the department of VMC’s sanitation cell, Dharmesh Rana. Officials added that a hefty penalty will be imposed on the waste collection contractor as he should not have collected hospital waste. A specialised agency handles the collection and disposal of biomedical waste.Former deputy mayor Sunita Shukla, who also reached the garden, said that she was told this was not the first time the waste was dumped at the garden. “This is a health hazard, and strict action should be taken against the hospital,” she said. General secretary of the city unit of the Congress party, Kalpesh Patel, gave an application at the Gotri police station regarding the issue.Ward officer of the area, Krishna Solanki, said that once GPCB has done testing of the waste, administrative charges will be collected from the hospital too. She added that a decision in this regard will be taken as soon as GPCB gives its report.
