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Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Hostage City

For a city that prides itself on never stopping, Mumbai has been brought to a grinding halt by the stoppage of one of its most indispensable services. The indefinite strike by employees of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has effectively paralysed the city’s bus network, leaving millions of commuters stranded and exposing deep fissures in the management of one of India’s largest urban transport systems. BEST ferries around 25 lakh passengers daily through a...

Hostage City

For a city that prides itself on never stopping, Mumbai has been brought to a grinding halt by the stoppage of one of its most indispensable services. The indefinite strike by employees of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has effectively paralysed the city’s bus network, leaving millions of commuters stranded and exposing deep fissures in the management of one of India’s largest urban transport systems. BEST ferries around 25 lakh passengers daily through a fleet of nearly 2,800 buses. Yet over the past three days, the city has witnessed the near-total collapse of this network. On the first day of the strike, only a few dozen buses operated. By the weekend, not a single BEST-owned or wet-lease bus was on the roads. Local trains, Metro services, taxis and autorickshaws have been forced to absorb the shock and are predictably straining under the burden. The strike may be illegal under the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA), and the industrial court may have ordered employees back to work. Yet laws and court orders cannot substitute for sound governance. When a public utility reaches the point where thousands of workers are willing to risk disciplinary action and legal consequences, it signals a failure that predates the strike itself. The demands raised by the unions are hardly new. Employees have long sought implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations, settlement of retirement dues, an end to contractualisation and the merger of the BEST budget with that of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Whether one agrees with every demand is beside the point. What is striking is that these issues have been allowed to fester for years without a credible roadmap for resolution. Equally troubling is the government’s reactive approach. Ministers and officials rushed into negotiations only after services collapsed and public inconvenience reached intolerable levels. Such crisis management has become a familiar feature of governance. The unions, too, must recognise the wider consequences of their actions. Public transport is the bloodstream of a city. Every day the strike continues, daily wage earners lose income and ordinary citizens bear higher travel costs. The disruption disproportionately hurts those who can least afford alternatives. Holding Mumbai hostage may attract attention to legitimate grievances, but also risks eroding public sympathy. Mumbai has spent years celebrating new Metro corridors, coastal roads and grand infrastructure projects. Yet the humble bus remains the most affordable and accessible mode of transport for millions. Policymakers often treat BEST as an ageing institution to be managed rather than a vital public service to be strengthened. The increasing reliance on contract workers and wet-lease operations may reduce immediate costs, but also weakens institutional stability and labour relations. A city of Mumbai’s scale cannot afford a public transport system perpetually balanced on the edge of financial distress, labour unrest and administrative uncertainty. Nor can it depend on emergency measures whenever disputes arise.

Biomedical Waste: A Silent Threat in Plain Sight

Medical waste generated from routine tests prescribed by a doctor has the potential to become a serious public health hazard.

Subsequently, in accordance with the directives of the Honourable Supreme Court, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (now the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change – MoEF&CC), Government of India, notified the Bio-Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules on 27 July 1998. These rules were issued under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.


Since their introduction, there have been several amendments and changes to these original rules. These developments will be discussed periodically in this series of articles.


Biomedical waste, also referred to as medical waste or hospital waste, includes any waste that poses a risk of infection to humans or contains potentially infectious material. This type of waste is typically generated during healthcare delivery, research activities, and other medical procedures.


It is defined as “any solid, fluid or liquid waste, including its container and any intermediate product, which is generated during the diagnosis, treatment or immunisation of human beings or animals, in research related thereto, or in the production or testing of biologicals, and also includes animal waste from slaughterhouses or similar establishments”.


How and where this kind of waste is generated

Sunita is feeling unwell. She has a sore throat, headache, body aches, and a general sense of discomfort. She is also running a slight fever. It is time for her to visit the family physician. Her family doctor conducts a routine check-up and prescribes a few medicines based on his initial diagnosis. Sunita follows the prescription carefully. However, her condition does not improve.


Sunita visits the doctor again. This time, the doctor advises her to undergo a series of routine laboratory tests, such as a Complete Blood Count (CBC) and a urine test. Sunita proceeds to a pathology lab to get these tests done.


At the lab, the technician arranges several vials for sample collection and hands Sunita a plastic cup for urine collection. He then takes a new set of disposable syringes and a sharp-tipped needle. Following standard procedures, he draws the required amount of blood into the syringe, transfers it into the appropriately labelled vials, and then discards the used syringe and needle into a bin.


All done. But if you were to pick up that discarded syringe (not that you should) and examine it closely, you would see that the needle tip is still smeared with a bit of blood. The inner surface of the syringe also contains traces of blood. And let us be clear—this ‘bit’ of blood is highly infectious and poses a serious health hazard. If you accidentally prick your finger with it, you could be exposed to harmful pathogens.


Now, Sunita is not the only one who visited the pathology lab that morning. On average, fifty to sixty prospective patients might have visited that single lab on any given day. But that lab is just one among many. There are hundreds of similar laboratories operating across the city, all providing diagnostic services.


Starting to get the picture? One can now begin to estimate the sheer number of discarded syringes and needles generated daily by all these labs. And hold on—this is just the beginning of biomedical waste generation. If Sunita’s blood test results confirm the infection her doctor suspects, she may need to be hospitalised for further treatment. And with that, the production of biomedical waste will continue.


Let’s wait a week to find out what happens to Sunita in the hospital. Until then, have a great weekend!

(The writer is an environmentalist.)

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