Kolhapur: Corporators demanded action against the biomedical waste processing firm for failing to collect the waste generated in the hospitals at the standing committee meeting of the civic administration on Friday.Corporators complained that the agency—Nature in Need—is harassing doctors for the service charges to be paid for collection, transportation and processing of the biomedical waste.“The agency has stopped collecting the waste from the hospitals. Disposing the waste in the open poses severe health hazards consequences both to the public and the sanitation workers handling the waste. Doctors have complained to us that the firm is charging ten times more than that fixed by the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation,” said Tararani Aghadi corporator Satyajeet Kadam.Officials attending the meeting said the doctors are reluctant to complain in writing for which it is difficult to take action against the firm. The firm was previously terminated by the civic body for faulty processing of the biomedical waste.However, after the National Green Tribunal’s green signal, KMC is continuing to avail the services of the same firm and is in the last phase of appointing a new firm. Around one tonne of biomedical waste is generated in the city every day which includes waste generated in the general clinics as well as in super-speciality hospitals.Some of the corporators even claimed that the firm has failed to pay the rent of the processing plant.Officials said KMC has issued notices to the firm asking to pay the dues by June 17. “If the agency fails to pay the dues, we will seal the plant,” said an official of the sanitation department who was attending the meeting.KMC to rope in skilled men to catch stray dogs: Corporators raised the concern of children being attacked by street dogs. Officials said they do not have adequate staff to catch the dogs and the proposal to rope in skilled staff will be tabled in the next meeting for approval. Presently, KMC is taking the help of staff from the fire department to catch dogs.Work to plug the leakage starts: TOI had raised the issue of a leaking pipeline in the Rajarampuri area a few days ago. When local corporator Pratidnya Nille raised the issue in the meeting, an official from the hydraulic department said that the work to repair the pipeline has been undertaken.Each corporator to get 25 saplings: KMC has decided to plant 10,000 saplings during the monsoon. All 81 corporators will get 25 saplings each to plant in their respective wards. The distribution of saplings will start from July 1.

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