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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.

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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