Mumbai, July 24 A 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.' PH Tadvi, a representative from the Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Council pointed out, "If civic bodies have the authority, they can in turn regulate the local paperwalas and kabadiwalas.' According to professor Sneha Palnitkar, director of All-India Institute of Local Self-Government, an Urban Development Ministry-supported centre which takes up urban and environmental studies in the country, "Electronic waste is becoming a problem larger than we can handle. Electronics, especially computers and its parts become obsolete at a fast pace. An example is the floppies, which were used by everyone just a few years ago. Today computers are upgraded and these discs become useless.' Palnitkar pointed out that whoever is responsible by law to handle hazardous waste, it's ultimately the municipal corporation which is responsible for its disposal. In India, especially in cities like Mumbai and Delhi, a good amount of e-waste is generated through clandestine imports from developed countries like the US and Australia, experts say. They come in through the back door as donations, re-sales and cheap giveaways. Recently, a study conducted by NGO Toxic Links stated that Mumbai alone generates e-wastes to the tune of 19,000 tonnes annually. The wastes were inclusive of computers, televisions, refrigerator and washing machines. MR Shah, principal advisor in the project and former chief engineer of the civic body Solid Waste Management Department, said, "Keeping that in mind, the municipal authority has a big role to play in solid-waste and e-waste disposal in this country.'