Fortis waste: Pick-up driver booked

Pavneet Singh Chadha

Tribune News Service

Mohali, February 16

Five days after the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on Fortis Hospital for violation of the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules and sought a probe against truck drivers, the contractor and the housekeeping in-charge of the hospital, the Mohali police today booked a pick-up driver on charges of theft and illegally transporting bio-medical waste to a dumping ground in Chandigarh.

The accused, Pappu, was booked under Section 380 (theft in dwelling house) of the IPC.

A case was lodged at the Phase 8 police station on February 2 on a complaint of the Facility Director of Fortis Hospital, Mohali, Abhijit Singh. The complainant had sought police investigation into “the illegal mixing of bio-medical waste by workers of the Fortis contractor”.

The FIR, a copy of which is available with Chandigarh Tribune, states that during the investigation, it was found that Pappu, the truck driver of vehicle number CH 01 TA 4454, was illegally transporting bio-medical waste by stealing it from a red bag and putting it in a green polythene bag, meant for municipal waste.

On February 2, a team of the PPCB had seized three pickup trucks, carrying nearly 1,000 kg of biomedical waste of Fortis Hospital. The trucks were headed for a scrap yard in Dadu Majra. A raid was conducted at the scrap yard from where segregated biomedical waste was recovered. The PPCB team had initiated an investigation against four persons — three pickup drivers and the scrap dealer — and the hospital.

In a statement, Fortis Hospital said, “We have faith in the investigation of the Punjab Police into the recovery of three bags of biomedical waste from a truck, which was on its way to dispose it of. We are yet to receive the final investigation report from the police.”