Ahmedabad: This is why infected syringes find their way into the recycling market putting countless lives at risk. A 15-member committee consisting of state health and pollution control board officials which was to monitor that every medical waste produced anywhere in Gujarat is disposed off according to norms has not met for the last three years. "I don't remember having a meeting with health officials on this matter. Our regional offices are monitoring disposal of medical waste" says chairman of Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB), CL Meena. This only reflects the level seriousness of the state government. Call it the lack of co-ordination between the health department and GPCB that has cost the state if dear as 56 people died of Hepatitis-B mainly because of contaminated syringes. The slack implementation of Bio-Medical Waste (management and handling) Rules (BMWR), 1998 has led recycled medical waste into the market. What's more is that state government's Nirmal Gujarat drive, which took up the issue of biomedical waste couple of years ago, seems to have left it out of its priority list. "Our core focus area is to stop defecation in the open, construct toilets and ensure solid waste management facilities are in place. BMWR is not our focus