Three months after the report of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board on the faulty sewage treatment plant at Government Wenlock Hospital, the Arogya Raksha Samiti of the hospital on Wednesday decided to terminate the services of the agency that was operating it.
During his visit to various hospitals in the city in May, KSPCB chairman Lakshman had that found the sewage treatment plant at Wenlock was not working in properly. In his report, Mr. Lakshman said that untreated sewage was being let into the underground drainage system.
At a meeting of the Samiti chaired by Deputy Commissioner K.G. Jagadeesha on Wednesday, hospital superintendent H. Rajeshwaridevi said Acqua Chemicals was the firm running the plant. She said the plant has not been functioning properly for eight months, adding that the agency was demanding wages for two more workers.
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Mr. Jagadeesha said there was no question of continuing the services of the agency. He asked Dr. Rajeshwaridevi to issue notice and terminate its services. He also asked her to initiate the process of selecting a new agency to run the plant.
The Samiti has also decided to allow an NGO to run the new ‘Shraddhanjali’ hearse van. If no NGO comes forward, the van can be operated by outsourcing the services of a driver and a helper, Mr. Jagadeesha said.
He asked the cost of running the hearse can be met by the hospital using money collected from urban local bodies and panchayats.
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