PC-PNDT act misused to close centre: Proprietor

The Pre-Conception and Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act enacted to prevent sex-selective abortions that is skewing India’s sex ratio in favour of boys by regulating ultrasound machines further is being misused, said one of the proprietors of an ultrasound imaging centre, whose machines have been sealed and license suspended.

“The PC-PNDT act is being used to mint money by corrupt authorities. Sealing is done on flimsy grounds to raise demands for money and those who do not cough up are made to suffer by illegal misuse of provisions under the act. Many suffering doctors know that since litigation takes years, it’s better to grease palms than to destroy careers by keeping their centres locked,” said Dr Sonal Randhawa, a proprietors of Dr Randhawa’s Ultrasound Imaging and Research Institute in West Delhi’s Janakpuri area.

Delhi government’s PC-PNDT team took action against the centre in December 2017 after a surprise inspection by a national inspection and monitoring committee found the centre had not maintained proper records.

Randhawa alleged the charges were false and the government officials had no jurisdiction. “There was a lot of planning done before attacking my centre,” she said. “The sealing was done in a hurry without any witnesses and no panchnama was prepared. The whole inspection and sealing report was prepared later with fabricated charges,” she said.

“During the sealing, the SDM and the additional SHO were also present, who had no right to be there as per Section 18 of the act. On realising that everything was being recorded on CCTV, they forcibly removed the DVR and took it away illegally,” she added.

The authorities had said that the centre was “illegally” training 300 to 400 people on using ultrasound machines without recognition from the Union and Delhi government, Medical Council of India or the University Grants Commission.

She said,“The authorities conceded in an RTI that there is no provision for registering an ultrasound training under the act and Medical Council of India clearly state s that physicians can impart knowledge to colleagues.

First Published: Mar 02, 2019 02:07 IST