Despite concerns from several quarters including the Odisha High Court, bio-medical waste management and handling in different government hospitals including three state-run medical colleges and hospital is in total disarray due to non-allocation of funds for the purpose by the health and family welfare department. This was revealed at the meeting of Advisory Committee of Bio-medical Waste Management & Handling Rules presided over by Director, Environment BP Singh at the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) premises here today. The Committee took a serious note on the directive of the Odisha High Court that had asked the Advocate General to expedite disposal of 21 pending cases against the erring government hospitals with four months. Acting on the direction, OSPCB had handed over a list of cases between 2000 and 2011 to the High Court, filed under Section 15 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 for violation of Bio-medical waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 1998. The cases include VSS Medical College & Hospital, Burla, Life Line Nursing Home, Cuttack, Asha Kiran Nursing Home, Cuttack, Shanti Memorial Hospital, Rourkela, Raj Maternity & Nursing Home, Jharsuguda, Healing Touches & Nursing Home, Sambalpur, SCB Medical College & Hospital, Cuttack, City Hospital, Berhampur, VSS Medical College and Hospital, Burla and District Headquarter Hospitals (DHHs) in Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Nayagarh, Kandhamal, Nabarangpur, Nuapada and Keonjhar. The meeting arrived at a consensus that hovernment hospitals should lead and function as role models for treatment and disposal of bio-medical waste for which the Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar has set example in this regard. While Mayurbhanj DHH has been awarded for its effort in the treatment and disposal of bio-medical waste last year, Kalahandi DHH has received the award for the same this year. The Advisory Committee has the mandate to analyse issues and suggest steps for effective implementation of bio-medical waste management. The Committee decided to pick up representatives from the Health and Family Welfare and Fishery and Animal Resource Development Departments who will make budgetary provisions for effective medical waste disposal generated from different sources. The meeting also decided to discourage use of mercury in different apparatus and testing equipments since its waste is cost prohibitive for disposal. This apart, the Committee also decided to ask the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) to keep bio-medical waste disposal as part of its project. Among others, OSPCB Member Secretary Sidhant Das, Prof BK Das of SCB Medical College & Hospital, and senior scientist and environmental engineer of the Board Ashok Nanda, were present at the meeting.