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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Commercial LPG 'evaporates' in Maharashtra

Mumbai : The short supply of commercial LPG cylinders turned ‘grim’ on Wednesday as hundreds of small and medium eateries – on whom the ordinary working Mumbaikars depend on for daily meals – shut down or drastically trimmed menus, on Wednesday.   With an estimated 50,000-plus hotels, restaurants and small food joints, the crunch is beginning to be felt severely, said Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI) vice-president and Hotel and Restaurant Association Western...

Commercial LPG 'evaporates' in Maharashtra

Mumbai : The short supply of commercial LPG cylinders turned ‘grim’ on Wednesday as hundreds of small and medium eateries – on whom the ordinary working Mumbaikars depend on for daily meals – shut down or drastically trimmed menus, on Wednesday.   With an estimated 50,000-plus hotels, restaurants and small food joints, the crunch is beginning to be felt severely, said Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI) vice-president and Hotel and Restaurant Association Western India (HRAWI) spokesperson Pradeep Shetty.   “We are in continuous touch with the concerned authorities, but the situation is very gloomy. There is no response from the Centre or the Ministry of Petroleum on when the situation will ease. We fear that more than 50 pc of all eateries in Mumbai will soon down the shutters. The same will apply to the rest of the state and many other parts of India,” Shetty told  ‘ The Perfect Voice’ .   The shortage of commercial LPG has badly affected multiple sectors, including the hospitality and food industries, mass private or commercial kitchens and even the laundry businesses, industry players said.   At their wits' ends, many restaurateurs resorted to the reliable old iron ‘chulhas’ (stoves) fired by either coal or wood - the prices of which have also shot up and result in pollution - besides delaying the cooking.   Anticipating a larger crisis, even domestic LPG consumers besieged retail dealers in Mumbai, Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Ratnagiri, Kolhapur, Akola, Nagpur to book their second cylinder, with snaky queues in many cities. The stark reality of the 12-days old Gulf war with the disturbed supplies has hit the people and industries in the food supply chains that feed crores daily.   “The ordinary folks leave home in the morning after breakfast, then they rely on the others in the food chain for their lunch or dinner. Many street retailers have also shut down temporarily,” said Shetty.   Dry Snacks A quick survey of some suburban ‘khau gullies’ today revealed that the available items were mostly cold sandwiches, fruit or vegetable salads, cold desserts or ice-creams, cold beverages and packed snacks. Few offered the regular ‘piping hot’ foods that need elaborate cooking, or charging higher than normal menu rates, and even the app-based food delivery system was impacted.   Many people were seen gloomily munching on colorful packets of dry snacks like chips, chivda, sev, gathiya, samosas, etc. for lunch, the usually cheerful ‘chai ki dukaans’ suddenly disappeared from their corners, though soft drinks and tetrapaks were available.   Delay, Scarcity  Maharashtra LPG Dealers Association President Deepak Singh yesterday conceded to “some delays due to supply shortages” of commercial cylinders, but assured that there is no scarcity of domestic cylinders.   “We are adhering to the Centre’s guidelines for a 25 days booking period between 2 cylinders (domestic). The issue is with commercial cylinders but even those are available though less in numbers,” said Singh, adding that guidelines to prioritise educational institutions, hospitals, and defence, are being followed, but others are also getting their supplies.   Despite the assurances, Shetty said that the current status is extremely serious since the past week and the intermittent disruptions have escalated into a near-total halt in supplies in many regions since Monday.   Adding to the dismal picture is the likelihood of local hoteliers associations in different cities like Pune, Palghar, Nagpur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and more resorting to tough measures from Thursday, including temporary shutdown of their outlets, which have run out of gas stocks.

From Pickup to Protocols: The Operator’s Critical Role in Public Health

From installing incinerators to logging every gram of waste, the Operator stands between public health and potential harm.

In the previous article, we examined the crucial duties of the biomedical waste Operator, including timely waste collection, worker training, and coordination with the Occupier. This week, we delve deeper into the Operator’s responsibilities—specifically those related to infrastructure, technology, record-keeping, and compliance. These additional duties ensure that biomedical waste is not only collected and transported safely but also treated, disposed of, and monitored in accordance with national standards. As we continue to explore the backbone of India’s biomedical waste management system, we also touch upon the role of the Prescribed Authority, the regulatory body tasked with ensuring implementation and oversight.


Duties of the operator:

Every operator of a common biomedical waste treatment facility shall set up requisite biomedical waste treatment equipment, like an incinerator, autoclave, or microwave, shredder, and effluent treatment plant as a part of treatment before commencement of its operation. Over the years, if an operator intends to use new technologies for the treatment of biomedical waste other than those listed here, they shall request the Central Government to lay down the standards or operating parameters.


After the plastic waste is completely sterilised by autoclaving or microwaving, followed by mutilation or shredding, whichever is applicable, it is to be given to recyclers having valid consent or authorisation, or registration from the respective State Pollution Control Board or Pollution Control Committee. The operator should arrange to supply non-chlorinated plastic coloured bags to the occupier on a chargeable basis, if required.


A common biomedical waste treatment facility shall ensure the collection of biomedical waste on holidays as well.


Maintain all records for operation of incineration, hydroclave, or autoclaving for a period of five years.


Upgrade existing incinerators to achieve the standards for retention time in the secondary chamber and dioxins and furans within two years from the date of this notification.


The operator must report major accidents like fire hazards and blasts during handling of biomedical waste, and the remedial action taken and the records relevant thereto (including nil report) in Form I to the prescribed authority, and also along with the annual report.


Maintain a logbook for each of its treatment equipment according to the weight of the batch, categories of waste treated, time, date, duration of treatment cycle, and total hours of operation.


An occupier has a right to visit the common facility to ensure that the treatment is being carried out following the norms. The operator must cooperate in such cases.


The operator shall display details of authorisation, treatment, annual report, etc., on its website.


The prescribed authority:

State Pollution Control Boards in respect of states and the Pollution Control Committees in respect of union territories are the prescribed authority for implementing the provisions of these rules in respect of all health care establishments, including hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, dispensaries, veterinary institutions, animal houses, pathological laboratories, blood banks, etc. However, the Director General, Armed Forces Medical Services, will function as the prescribed authority of all such establishments belonging to the Armed Forces under the Ministry of Defence. The prescribed authorities shall comply with the responsibilities as stipulated in these rules. These authorities are also responsible for providing authorisation in the prescribed format to the occupiers as well as to the operators. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF & CC) shall review the implementation of the rules in the country once a year through the State Health Secretaries and Chairmen or Member Secretaries of State Pollution Control Boards and the Central Pollution Control Board. The Ministry may also invite experts in the field of biomedical waste management if required.


In conclusion, the Operator’s role extends far beyond waste collection—it encompasses infrastructure setup, technological upgrades, safety protocols, and transparent reporting. Alongside the Occupier and under the watchful eye of the prescribed authority, the Operator plays a critical part in safeguarding public health and the environment.


(The author is an environmentalist.)

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