Tue Feb 04 14:40:23 UTC 2025: ## Kerala’s Green Biomedical Waste Project Loses GST Registration

**PALAKKAD, Kerala – February 4, 2025** – The Kerala State Goods and Services Tax (GST) Department has cancelled the registration of Indian Medical Association Goes Ecofriendly (IMAGE), a key player in the state’s biomedical waste management. The decision, effective December 13, 2024, follows allegations that IMAGE, a project of the Indian Medical Association’s Kerala unit, misrepresented its status to the GST Department.

IMAGE, which operates a common biomedical waste treatment facility (CBWTF) in Kanjikode, Palakkad, has been handling the state’s biomedical waste since 2004. The GST Department claims IMAGE falsely presented itself as an independent association of persons (AoP), securing a separate GST registration while remaining a part of the IMA. This, the department alleges, constitutes “wilful misstatement and suppression of facts.”

IMAGE contests the cancellation, arguing the move is arbitrary and contradicts the state’s health policies. The organization, which has paid ₹18.67 crore in GST since July 2017, emphasizes its two-decade-long operation and continuous government recognition. It also highlights the potential disruption to the management of approximately 60 tonnes of daily biomedical waste generated by nearly 20,000 hospitals across Kerala. IMAGE’s CBWTF can process 80 tonnes daily.

While IMAGE officials assure that waste transportation will not be immediately affected, the loss of GST registration will impact billing. They are currently working to resolve the issue. The dispute raises concerns about the potential impact on Kerala’s biomedical waste management infrastructure.

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