Here’s a big relief for the nine government hospitals of Bangalore.

The Lok Adalat on Thursday granted a period of seven months to the government of Karnataka to establish Effluent Treatment Plant (ETPs) in the nine city hospitals.

These nine hospitals are: KC General Hospital, Malleswaram; General Hospital, Jayanagar; Hajee Sir Ismail Sait Ghousia Hospital, Tasker Town; SDS TB Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases, Hosur Road; Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital, Shivajinagar; Minto Hospital, Chamarajpet; Vanivilas Hospital, KR Road; Victoria Hospital, Kidwai Hospital, Dr MH Mari Gowda Road.

The Lok Adalat, headed by Justice K L Manjunath directed the state government to file an undertaking that it will ensure construction by February 13, 2010 and failing to do so will close down the hospitals by itself.

Earlier, the state government had submitted a memorandum declaring a mobilisation of Rs 5 crore for the establishment of ETPs.

The Lok Adalat articulated its apprehension over the huge sum of lead content in water samples across the four river valleys in the city.

Commenting over this, the Lok Adalat said: “Even tender coconuts contain lead because of contamination. We have read reports that breast milk of mothers also contain lead. The situation is serious.”