CIVIC BODIES NEED AUTHORITY FOR E-WASTE MANAGEMENT

Mumbai
The Indian ExpressA training on e-waste for members of several urban municipal corporations from the western region on Thursday turned into a brainstorming session of sorts when the civic officials highlighted their difficulties in handling not just electronic wastes but also bio-medical wastes in their cities due to absence of proper regulation.

The training programme, which brought together civic officials from cities of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa, with experts and consultants on e-waste management, revealed that most urban local bodies echoed the same view on the issue. “It’s time we stopped being an instrument and become an implementing authority of solid-waste management,” said Sidhartha Choure, sanitary officer of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation.

Putting in perspective the opinions of nearly 50 percent officials present there, Choure said, “An amendment is needed in the Environmental Protection Act which names the pollution control board as the competent authority for solid waste, bio-medical waste and hazardous waste management. However, the local body is the one accountable for cleaning up wastes. In such a case, the local bodies should be given the authority to implement e-waste disposal rules.”