Patna: Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) has issued notices to 14 hospitals of Patna for failing to efficiently dispose of bio-medical waste. Directions have also been issued to another eight hospitals to bring improvement in their ways of handling bio-medical waste.

The BSPCB, in its notices sent, has said that keeping in view non-adherence to rules laid down for bio-medical wastes, why these hospitals should not be shut down?

The hospitals which have been sent notices are Aarohi Hospital of Sheikhpura Bailey Road, Satyam Hospital, Rai Nursing Home of Raza Bazaar, New Max Care Hospital, Get Well Hospital, Mahavir Vatsalya Aspatal of Sadaquat Ashram, Mahavir Arogya Sansthan of Kankerbagh, Patliputra Divine Hospital Private Limited, Sri Ram Hospital and Research Centre, Chanakya Hospital, Anupama Hospital of Khazanchi Road, Popular Nursing Home of Ashok Rajpath, Rajendra Hospital located in Rajendra Nagar and Atlantis Super Speciality Hospital situated near the railway overbridge at Rupaspur on West Bailey Road.

The eight other hospitals which have been warned and have been directed to adhere to bio-medical waste disposal rules are Mahavir Cancer Sansthan of Phulwarisharif, Ruban Emergency Hospital of SP Verma Road, Kurji Holy Family Hospital, Kurji, Jeevak Heart Hospital, Kankerbagh, Arvind Hospital of Ashok Rajpath, Ram Ratan Hospital near Bazaar Samiti, Medica Magadh Hospital of Rajendra Nagar and Bhagalpur's Synergy Waste Management Private Limited.

Meanwhile, the BSPCB has tightened its nose around hotels and banquet halls operating in Patna without following proper mechanisms.

It (BSPCB) has sent showcause notices to seven hotels for violating rules laid down under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, for not adhering to rules of disposal of solid waste, and not using silent generators.

The hotels that have been issued showcause notices are Hotel Rajasthan at Fraser Road, Mamta Restaurant, Satkar International, Hotel Archie Inn, Hotel Mayur, Hotel Astor and Samrat International.

In its aim to improve the air quality of the state, the BSPCB has also issued directive to close down 175 brick-kilns across the state. Out of these 175 brick-kilns, 71 are located in the state capital while the rest are from other towns.

The rest of the towns where brick-kilns are directed to be closed are Madhubani (39), Muzaffarpur (23), East Champaran (21), West Champaran (16), Saran (3) and one each in Vaishali and Siwan. Letters have been sent to the district magistrates (DMs) of all these places to shut down the brick-kilns, a BSPCB official said.