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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Shinde dilutes demand

Likely to be content with Deputy Mayor’s post in Mumbai Mumbai: In a decisive shift that redraws the power dynamics of Maharashtra’s urban politics, the standoff over the prestigious Mumbai Mayor’s post has ended with a strategic compromise. Following days of resort politics and intense backroom negotiations, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has reportedly diluted its demand for the top job in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), settling instead for the Deputy Mayor’s post. This...

Shinde dilutes demand

Likely to be content with Deputy Mayor’s post in Mumbai Mumbai: In a decisive shift that redraws the power dynamics of Maharashtra’s urban politics, the standoff over the prestigious Mumbai Mayor’s post has ended with a strategic compromise. Following days of resort politics and intense backroom negotiations, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has reportedly diluted its demand for the top job in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), settling instead for the Deputy Mayor’s post. This development, confirmed by high-ranking party insiders, follows the realization that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) effectively ceded its claims on the Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) to protect the alliance, facilitating a “Mumbai for BJP, Kalyan for Shinde” power-sharing formula. The compromise marks a complete role reversal between the BJP and the Shiv Sena. Both the political parties were in alliance with each other for over 25 years before 2017 civic polls. Back then the BJP used to get the post of Deputy Mayor while the Shiv Sena always enjoyed the mayor’s position. In 2017 a surging BJP (82 seats) had paused its aggression to support the undivided Shiv Sena (84 seats), preferring to be out of power in the Corporation to keep the saffron alliance intact. Today, the numbers dictate a different reality. In the recently concluded elections BJP emerged as the single largest party in Mumbai with 89 seats, while the Shinde faction secured 29. Although the Shinde faction acted as the “kingmaker”—pushing the alliance past the majority mark of 114—the sheer numerical gap made their claim to the mayor’s post untenable in the long run. KDMC Factor The catalyst for this truce lies 40 kilometers north of Mumbai in Kalyan-Dombivali, a region considered the impregnable fortress of Eknath Shinde and his son, MP Shrikant Shinde. While the BJP performed exceptionally well in KDMC, winning 50 seats compared to the Shinde faction’s 53, the lotter for the reservation of mayor’s post in KDMC turned the tables decisively in favor of Shiv Sena there. In the lottery, the KDMC mayor’ post went to be reserved for the Scheduled Tribe candidate. The BJP doesn’t have any such candidate among elected corporatros in KDMC. This cleared the way for Shiv Sena. Also, the Shiv Sena tied hands with the MNS in the corporation effectively weakening the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s alliance with them. Party insiders suggest that once it became clear the BJP would not pursue the KDMC Mayor’s chair—effectively acknowledging it as Shinde’s fiefdom—he agreed to scale down his demands in the capital. “We have practically no hope of installing a BJP Mayor in Kalyan-Dombivali without shattering the alliance locally,” a Mumbai BJP secretary admitted and added, “Letting the KDMC become Shinde’s home turf is the price for securing the Mumbai Mayor’s bungalow for a BJP corporator for the first time in history.” The formal elections for the Mayoral posts are scheduled for later this month. While the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA)—led by the Shiv Sena (UBT)—has vowed to field candidates, the arithmetic heavily favors the ruling alliance. For Eknath Shinde, accepting the Deputy Mayor’s post in Mumbai is a tactical retreat. It allows him to consolidate his power in the MMR belt (Thane and Kalyan) while remaining a partner in Mumbai’s governance. For the BJP, this is a crowning moment; after playing second fiddle in the BMC for decades, they are poised to finally install their own “First Citizen” of Mumbai.

Beyond Hospitals: The Many Sources of Biomedical Waste

Biomedical waste doesn’t just come from hospitals — it is generated across a wide range of healthcare settings.”

In continuation of last week’s article on Sunita’s hospitalisation and the biomedical waste generated during her treatment, let us now take a closer look at where this waste originates and what it consists of. Biomedical waste doesn’t just come from hospitals — it is generated across a wide range of healthcare settings, from large medical institutions to small clinics and even home-based care. Depending on the type of facility and the nature of medical procedures performed, the volume and kind of waste can vary greatly. In this article, we will explore the primary and secondary sources of biomedical waste and examine its key components, some of which pose serious health and environmental risks.


As mentioned, biomedical waste originates from a variety of healthcare settings, which can be broadly classified into two categories: primary and secondary sources. The primary sources include private and government general hospitals, maternity hospitals, clinics of general practitioners, medical colleges, veterinary colleges and hospitals, blood banks, pathology labs, animal houses affiliated with research labs (mostly located in pharmaceutical industries), etc. Blood donation camps, dental clinics, domestic healthcare practices, primary healthcare centers, educational institutions, industrial healthcare centres, AYUSH hospitals, etc., are considered secondary sources. The type and quantity of the waste depend on the sources of generation.


Composition of biomedical waste

Waste generated in healthcare centers is broadly divided into hazardous and infectious waste and non-infectious or general waste. Infectious waste is further categorised into the following four major categories:


1) a) Human anatomical and pathological waste: This accounts for only a small fraction, comprising about 10-15 per cent of the total waste generated in a hospital. However, this small fraction is of the biggest concern, as it poses a direct threat to the health and hygiene of human beings by transmitting viral, bacterial, fungal, or parasitic diseases. This type of waste includes internal organs such as appendices, tumours, glands, and tissues. It also includes any other organs removed during surgery, biopsy, or other medical procedures. Body parts like legs or hands that are partially or completely amputated are included. The placenta removed during childbirth is part of this waste. Aborted foetuses are also included.


Blood and other body fluids fall under this category. Animal carcasses and tissues from laboratories are part of this waste as well. Used dressings and cotton swabs soaked in blood or body fluids are included.


Hospital gowns, aprons, and other similar materials also form part of this waste. In short, any material that has been contaminated with a patient’s blood or other body fluids belongs to this category of waste.


b) Animal anatomical and pathological waste: Experimental animal carcasses, body parts, organs, and tissues, including the waste generated from animals used in experiments or testing in veterinary hospitals or colleges, or animal houses in pharma industries, also belong to this category.


2. Plastic waste: The use of plastic articles for treatment purposes has become very common in hospitals, not only in India but all over the world. Disposable plastic items used in hospitals are generally made from high-quality, sterilised plastics like polypropylene, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and PVC, which are ideal for their strength, flexibility, durability, etc. These articles are also ideal for maintaining sterility. Thus offering crucial benefits like infection control and ease of use. However, they also contribute significantly to medical waste, accounting for about 25 per cent to 30 per cent of the total volume. These articles include syringes, IV sets, and tubing used for intravenous administration of medicines; gloves; catheters; endotracheal tubes; cannulas; dialysis sets; blood and urine bags, etc. Most of the syringes are either for intramuscular or hypodermic injections to inject medicine into the body.


3. Metal Sharps: Waste Sharps, including metals, needles, syringes with fixed needles, needles from needle tip cutters or burners, scalpels, blades, or any other contaminated sharp object that may cause punctures and cuts. This includes used, discarded, and contaminated metal sharps.


4. Glass: Broken or discarded and contaminated glass, including medicine vials and ampoules, except those contaminated with cytotoxic wastes.


More on the other categories of waste will be discussed in my next article. Until then, have a good weekend!


(The writer is an environmentalist.)

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