Delhi High Court issues notice on plea challenging tender for setting up of bio-medical waste treatment facilities

The Delhi High Court today issued notices in a public interest litigation (PIL) filed challenging the tender floated by Delhi Pollution Control Committee inviting interested persons to set-up Common Bio Medical Waste Treatment Facilities on the ground that they were violative of Bio-Medical Waste Management and Handling Rules, 2016.

A division bench consisting Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh, passed the order issuing notices to Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC). The PIL has been filed by a trust called International Human Rights Council, which claims to be a public charitable trust.

The PIL seeks for the quashing of a tender document dated Aug 9, 2021 for setting up two common Bio-Medical Waste Treatment facilities in Delhi on the ground that disposal of medical waste and the responsibility of setting up common biomedical waste treatment facility lies with municipalities/local bodies under the state government and hence private entities cannot set up the facility.

Furthermore it urges that the land allocated for this purpose should be free of encumbrances, thereby making government's role essential.

The petition alleges that the petitioners made representations to the CPCB and DPCC however it yielded no results, hence they were before this court through a writ.

The matter will next come up on 30.11.2021

Cause Title: International Human Rights Council vs Union of India