Chandigarh, April 18: A government probe into the seizure of eight tonnes of red-category biomedical waste en route to the National Capital Region (NCR) has exposed a thriving illegal trade operating across Punjab, involving scrap dealers, banned units, and potentially hazardous recycling practices.
The seized waste bore barcodes linked to a licensed biomedical waste treatment facility in Mohali, indicating it was diverted from the authorised disposal stream. Investigators found that the waste was dumped from a moving vehicle and later collected by a scrap dealer—an operation that points to a wider, well-coordinated network.
Adarshpal Vig, Chairman of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), confirmed that the discovery has triggered a larger investigation. “There are six common biomedical waste treatment facilities (CBWTFs) in Amritsar, Ludhiana, Muktsar, Mohali, Nakodar and Pathankot. Collectively, they handle nearly 19,841 kg of biomedical waste daily,” he said.
The Mohali-based unit, whose barcodes were found on the seized bags, had earlier been barred from treating biomedical waste due to irregularities. However, a court order later permitted it to function as a collection agency—a loophole now under scrutiny following this major violation.
Initially, the illegal trade was concentrated around Nayagaon, Dera Bassi, Kharar and Dhanas in the Chandigarh periphery. But rising property prices and growing population density pushed many scrap operations towards Rajpura and Dakala, where enforcement is more challenging.
Authorities fear the waste—comprising syringes, oxygen masks, gloves, catheters, urine bags, and glucose bottles—is ending up in unauthorized industries refurbishing medical equipment or producing toys. “High-grade plastic from biomedical waste is cheaper and often used to make low-cost toys,” a senior official noted.
Environmental experts have raised alarms, warning of serious health and ecological risks. A scrap dealer familiar with the trade disclosed that once in NCR, the waste is segregated—glucose bottles melted into plastic beads, syringes and other items repackaged and sold in secondary markets.
With evidence pointing to an organised chain stretching from Punjab to NCR, pollution control officials are pressing for stronger enforcement and judicial review of court-sanctioned operations tied to previously banned units.
