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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

High-stakes chess beneath the surface

BJP Candidates coming out after filing their nomination for the upcoming Legislative Council Polls from Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai on Thursday. Pic: Bhushan Koyande Mumbai: Typically, when a ruling coalition enjoys a formidable and comfortable majority, elections to the Rajya Sabha and the State Legislative Council are quiet, predictable affairs. They are often viewed as mere formalities, rarely capturing the public imagination or dominating front-page headlines. Historically, these indirect...

High-stakes chess beneath the surface

BJP Candidates coming out after filing their nomination for the upcoming Legislative Council Polls from Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai on Thursday. Pic: Bhushan Koyande Mumbai: Typically, when a ruling coalition enjoys a formidable and comfortable majority, elections to the Rajya Sabha and the State Legislative Council are quiet, predictable affairs. They are often viewed as mere formalities, rarely capturing the public imagination or dominating front-page headlines. Historically, these indirect elections only become newsworthy under specific conditions: either the ruling coalition is plagued by internal fissures, or the opposition is too fragmented to put up a united front. In Maharashtra, however, the political landscape remains highly volatile. Recently, the Rajya Sabha elections became the center of intense media scrutiny, and over the past week, the Legislative Council polls followed suit. Although all ten candidates—nine from the ruling alliance and one from the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)—are now set to be elected unopposed, the intricate backroom maneuvers that led to this truce kept the state’s political circles buzzing. Interestingly, the reason for this heightened news value can be traced to both a subtle tug-of-war within the ruling combine and a visibly weakened opposition. Shifting Strategy The maneuvering within the opposition ranks has been particularly telling. A major focal point of the election buildup was the anticipated candidacy of Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray. After generating considerable hype and speculation about a potential return to the legislature, Thackeray ultimately chose to withdraw from the electoral fray. This sudden pullback forced a rapid recalibration within the MVA. Initially, the Congress party had adopted an aggressive posture, declaring its intention to field a candidate if Thackeray decided against contesting. However, following closed-door deliberations with Shiv Sena (UBT) leadership, the Congress quietly backed down. Why the state Congress leadership so readily acquiesced to this sudden change in strategy, sacrificing a potential seat, remains a mystery and a subject of intense debate among political observers. On the other side of the aisle, the ruling Mahayuti coalition maximized this electoral opportunity to consolidate its political base, reward loyalists, and balance complex regional equations. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) strategically paved the way for the political rehabilitation of former Congress legislator Zishan Siddique by nominating him to the Legislative Council. This calculated move introduces a prominent new Muslim face for the party, likely intended to fill the leadership vacuum in Mumbai left by veteran leader Nawab Malik. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde used his nominations to send a definitive message about the premium he places on loyalty. By securing another term for Dr. Neelam Gorhe, Shinde demonstrated that those who stood by his faction would be adequately rewarded. Furthermore, by bringing Vidarbha strongman Bachchu Kadu into the fold, Shinde has attempted to anchor his party’s future and expand its footprint in a region predominantly controlled by his senior alliance partner, the BJP. The Bharatiya Janata Party, playing its characteristic long game, meticulously ensured that its list of six candidates struck the perfect organizational, social, and political balance. Battle for LOP Despite these broader alliance strategies, the most consequential nomination in this electoral cycle is arguably that of Ambadas Danve. Barely six months after completing his tenure in the Upper House and stepping down from the prestigious post of Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, Danve has been nominated once again by the Shiv Sena (UBT). With his return to the house, there is a strong possibility that he will reclaim his former post. This specific development highlights a much deeper crisis within the Congress. Following Danve’s brief retirement, the Congress had naturally emerged as the largest opposition party in the Upper House. This mathematical advantage theoretically paved the way for their Kolhapur strongman, Satej “Banti” Patil, to lay claim to the Leader of the Opposition’s chair. However, the sudden defection of Congress MLC Pradnya Satav, who switched loyalties to the BJP, severely dented the party’s numbers. Her departure brought the Congress’s strength in the house just below that of the Shiv Sena (UBT). Stripped of its numerical superiority overnight, the Congress was relegated to being a mute spectator, unable to assert its rightful claim. Internal Dissent This series of tactical defeats has triggered palpable frustration within the Congress’s state unit. One senior Congress leader, speaking on the condition of anonymity, expressed deep disappointment with the state leadership’s inability to protect the party’s interests. “Everyone has personal political ambitions, but leaders must learn the ways to collectively move ahead and strategize,” the leader remarked, attributing the party’s current stagnation in Maharashtra to this lack of cohesive vision. In short, these Legislative Council elections have delivered one message loud and clear: even when everything appears calm and stable on the surface, the relentless machinery of politics continues to churn behind the scenes. No political player in Maharashtra can afford to rest assured or sit idle under the illusion that there are no major state elections until 2029.

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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