Burial and burning grounds
150. Power to call for information regarding burial and burning grounds.
150. Power to call for information regarding burial and burning grounds.—The Chief Executive Officer may, by notice in writing, require the owner or person in-charge of any burial or burning ground in the cantonment to supply such information as may be specified in the notice concerning the condition, management or position of such ground.
151. Permission for use of new burial or burning ground.
151. Permission for use of new burial or burning ground.—(1) No place in a cantonment which has not been used as a burial or burning ground before the commencement of this Act shall be so used without the permission in writing of the Board.
(2) Such permission may be granted subject to any conditions which the Board thinks fit to impose for the purpose of preventing annoyance to, or danger to the health of, persons residing in the neighbourhood.
152. Power to require closing of burial or burning ground.
152. Power to require closing of burial or burning ground.—(1) Where a Board, after making or causing to be made local inquiry, is of opinion that any burial or burning ground in the cantonment has become offensive to, or dangerous to the health of, persons living in the neighbourhood, it may, with the previous sanction of the Central Government by notice in writing, require the owner or person in charge of such ground to close the same from such date as may be specified in the notice.
(2) Where the Central Government sanctions the issue of any notice under sub-section (1) it shall declare the conditions on which the burial or burning ground may be re-opened, and a copy of such declaration shall be annexed to the notice.
(3) Where the Central Government sanctions the issues of any such notice, it shall require a new burial or burning ground to be provided at the expense of the cantonment fund, or, if the community concerned is willing to provide a new burial or burning ground, the Central Government shall require a grant to be made from the cantonment fund towards the cost of the same.
(4) No corpse shall be buried or burnt in any burial or burning ground in respect of which a notice issued under this section is for the time being in force.
153. Exemption from operation of Sections 150 to 152.
153. Exemption from operation of Sections 150 to 152.—The provisions of Sections 150, 151 and 152 shall not apply in the case of any burial ground which is for the time being managed by or on behalf of the Government.
154. Removal of corpses.
154. Removal of corpses.—The Board may, by public notice, prescribe routes in the cantonment by which alone corpses may be removed to burial or burning grounds.
Prevention of infectious, contagious or communicable diseases
155. Obligation concerning infectious, contagious or communicable diseases.
155. Obligation concerning infectious, contagious or communicable diseases.—(1) Any person being in charge of, or in attendance, whether as a medical practitioner or otherwise, upon any person in a cantonment whom he knows or has reason to believe to be suffering from a contagious, communicable or infectious disease, or being the owner, lessee or occupier of any building in a cantonment in which he knows that any person is so suffering, shall forthwith give information to the Board respecting the existence of such disease.
(2) No person shall—
(a) knowing that he is suffering from a contagious, communicable or an infectious disease, expose other persons to the risk of infection by his presence or conduct in any public street or public place;
(b) having the care of a person whom he knows to be suffering from a contagious, communicable or an infectious disease cause or permit that person to expose other persons to the risk of infection by his presence or conduct in any such street or place as aforesaid;
(c) place or cause to be placed in a dustbin or other receptacle for the deposit of rubbish any matter which he knows or has reason to believe to have been exposed to infection from a contagious, communicable or an infectious disease and which has not been disinfected properly;
(d) throw or cause to be thrown into any latrine or urinal any matter which he knows or has reason to believe to have been exposed to infection from a contagious, communicable or an infectious disease and which has not been disinfected properly.
(3) Nothing contained in sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) shall apply in the case of venereal disease where the person suffering therefrom is under specific and adequate medical treatment and is by reason of his habits and conditions of life and residence unlikely to spread the disease.
(4) Whoever—
(a) fails to give information or gives false information to the Broad respecting the existence of such disease as is referred to in sub-section (1), or
(b) contravenes the provisions of sub-section (2), shall be punishable with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees:
Provided that no person shall be punishable for failure to give information if he had reasonable cause to believe that the information had already been duly given.
156. Blood Bank.
156. Blood Bank.—Subject to the provisions of any Act made in this regard and the rules and regulations made thereunder, whoever, being in charge of a blood bank or any other establishment which collects or supplies blood, plasma, marrow or any other substance for transfusion or treatment of patients or for any other medical use, fails to take adequate precautions or exercise adequate supervision thereby leading to or resulting in the supply of infected or contaminated blood, plasma, marrow or any other substance, shall be punishable with imprisonment which may extend to five years or with fine which may extend to one lakh rupees or with both.
157. Special measures in case of outbreak of infectious or epidemic diseases.
157. Special measures in case of outbreak of infectious or epidemic diseases.—(1) In the event of a cantonment being visited or threatened by an outbreak of any infectious or contagious disease among the inhabitants thereof or of any epidemic disease among any animals therein, the Officer Commanding the Station, if he thinks that the provisions of this Act or of any law for the time being in force in the cantonment are insufficient for the purpose, may, with the previous sanction of the Central Government—
(a) take such special measures, and
(b) by public notice, make such temporary regulations to be observed by the public or by any class or section of the public, as he thinks necessary to prevent the outbreak or the spread of the disease:
Provided that where in the opinion of the Officer Commanding the Station, immediate measures are necessary, he may take action without such sanction as aforesaid and, if he does so, shall forthwith report such action to the Central Government.
(2) Whoever commits a breach of any temporary regulation made under sub-section (1) shall be deemed to have committed an offence under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860).
158. Power to require names of dairyman's customers.
158. Power to require names of dairyman's customers.—Where it is certified to the Chief Executive Officer by a medical practitioner that the outbreak or spread of any infectious or contagious disease in the cantonment is, in the opinion of such medical practitioner, attributable to the milk supplied by any dairyman, the Chief Executive Officer may, by notice in writing, require the dairyman, within such time as may be specified in the notice, to furnish him with a full and complete list of the names and addresses of all his customers within the cantonment, or to give him such information as will enable him to trace the persons to whom the dairyman has sold milk.
159. Power to require names of a washerman's customers.
159. Power to require names of a washerman's customers.—Where it is certified to the Chief Executive Officer by the Health Officer that it is desirable, with a view to prevent the spread of any infectious or contagious disease in the cantonment, that the Health Officer should be furnished with a list of the customers of any washerman, the Chief Executive Officer may, by notice in writing, require the washerman, within a time to be specified in the notice, to furnish the Health Officer with a full and complete list of the names and addresses of all owners within the cantonment of clothes and other articles which the washerman washes or has washed during the six weeks immediately preceding the date of the notice.
Explanation.—For the purposes of this section, the expression “washerman” shall mean an individual, body corporate, association of persons engaged in washing clothes in a cantonment.
160. Power to require names of patients or customers of a medical practitioner or paramedical workers.
160. Power to require names of patients or customers of a medical practitioner or paramedical workers.—Where it is certified to the Chief Executive Officer by the Health Officer or a doctor in the employment of the Board that there is apprehension of the outbreak or spreading of any infectious or contagious or communicable disease in the cantonment because of use of contaminated needles, syringes or any other such equipment by a medical practitioner or by any paramedical worker, the Chief Executive Officer may, by notice in writing, require the medical practitioner or the paramedical worker, within such time as may be specified in the notice, to furnish him with a full and complete list of the names and addresses of all his customers or patients within the cantonment, or to give him such information as will enable him to trace the persons whom the medical practitioner or the paramedical worker has attended to or treated in the six weeks preceding the date of issuing the notice.
161. Report after inspection of dairy or washerman or medical practitioner's place of business.
161. Report after inspection of dairy or washerman or medical practitioner's place of business.—Where, after inspection the Health Officer is of opinion that any infectious, contagious or communicable disease is caused or is likely to arise in the cantonment from the consumption of the milk supplied from a dairy or from the washing of clothes or other articles in any place, or from any process employed by a washerman, or from use of contaminated needles, syringes or other such equipment by a medical practitioner or any paramedical staff, he shall report the matter to the Chief Executive Officer.
162. Action on report submitted by Health Officer.
162. Action on report submitted by Health Officer.—Upon receipt of a report submitted by the Health Officer under Section 161, the Chief Executive Officer may, by notice in writing,—
(a) prohibit the supply of milk from the dairy until the notice has been withdrawn; or
(b) prohibit the washerman from washing clothes or other articles in any such place or by any such process as aforesaid until the notice has been withdrawn or unless he uses such place in such manner, or washes by process, as the Chief Executive Officer may direct in the notice; or
(c) prohibit the medical practitioner or the paramedical worker from using any such needles, syringes or other such equipment unless the notice is withdrawn or rectification as may be required in the notice is carried out.
163. Examination of milk, washed clothes or needles, syringes, etc.
163. Examination of milk, washed clothes or needles, syringes, etc.—The Health Officer or a doctor in the employment of the Board may take possession of any milk, clothes or other articles which are or have recently been in the possession of any dairyman on whom a notice has been served under Section 158, or of any clothes or other articles which are or have recently been in the possession of any washerman, on whom a notice has been served under Section 159, or any needles, syringes or such other equipment which are or have recently been in the possession of the medical practitioner or paramedical worker to whom a notice under Section 160 has been issued and may subject the same or cause the same to be subjected to such chemical or other process as he may think necessary; and the Board shall pay from the cantonment fund all the costs of the process and shall also pay to the owner of the milk, clothes or other articles such sum as compensation for any loss occasioned by such process as may appear to it to be reasonable.
164. Contamination of public conveyance.
164. Contamination of public conveyance.—Whoever in a cantonment—
(a) uses a public conveyance while suffering from an infectious or contagious disease, or
(b) uses a public conveyance for the carriage of a person who is suffering from any such disease, or
(c) uses a public conveyance for the carriage of the corpse of a person who has died from any such disease,
shall be bound to take proper precautions against the communication of the disease to other persons using or who may thereafter use the conveyance and to notify such use to the owner, driver or person incharge of the conveyance, and further to report without delay to the Chief Executive Officer the number of the conveyance and the name of the person so notified.
165. Disinfection of public conveyance.
165. Disinfection of public conveyance.—(1) Where any person suffering from, or the corpse of any person who has died from, an infectious, communicable or contagious disease has been carried in a public conveyance which ordinarily plies in a cantonment, the driver thereof shall forthwith report the fact to the Chief Executive Officer who shall forthwith cause the conveyance to be disinfected if that has not already been done.
(2) No such conveyance shall be brought again into use until the Chief Executive Officer has granted a certificate stating that it can be used without causing risk of infection.
166. Penalty for failure to report.
166. Penalty for failure to report.—Whoever fails to make to the Chief Executive Officer any report which he is required to make by Section 164 or Section 165 shall be punishable with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees.
167. Driver of conveyance not bound to carry person suffering from infectious or contagious disease.
167. Driver of conveyance not bound to carry person suffering from infectious or contagious disease.—Notwithstanding anything contained in any law for the time being in force, no owner, driver or person in charge of a public conveyance shall be bound to convey or to allow to be conveyed in such conveyance in or in the vicinity of a cantonment any person suffering from an infections or contagious disease or the corpse of any person who has died from such disease unless and until such person pays or tenders a sum fixed by the Chief Executive Officer from time to time, to cover any loss and expense which would ordinarily be incurred in disinfecting the conveyance.
168. Disinfection of building or articles therein.
168. Disinfection of building or articles therein.—Where a Board is, upon the advice of the Health Officer, of opinion that the cleansing and disinfection of any building or part of a building in the cantonment or of any articles in any such building or part which are likely to retain infection, or the renewal of the flooring of any such building or part of such building, would tend to prevent or check the spread of any infectious or contagious disease, the Board may by notice in writing, require the owner or occupier to cleanse and disinfect the said building, part or articles, as the case may be, or to renew the said flooring, within such time as may be specified in the notice:
Provided that where, in the opinion of the Board the owner or occupier is from poverty or any other cause unable effectually to carry out any such requisition, the Board may, at the expense of the cantonment fund, cleanse and disinfect the building, part or articles, or as the case may be, renew the flooring.
169. Destruction of infectious hut or shed.
169. Destruction of infectious hut or shed.—(1) Where the destruction of any hut or shed in a cantonment is, in the opinion of the Board, necessary to prevent the spread of any infectious or contagious disease, the Board may, by notice in writing, require the owner to destroy the hut or shed and the materials thereof within such time as may be specified in the notice.
(2) Where the President of a Board is satisfied that the destruction of any hut or shed in the cantonment is immediately necessary for the purpose of preventing the spread of any infectious or contagious disease, he may order the owner or occupier of the hut or shed to destroy the same forthwith, or may himself cause it to be destroyed after giving not less than two hour's notice to the owner or occupier thereof.
(3) The Board shall pay compensation to the owner of any hut or shed destroyed under this section.
170. Temporary shelter for inmates of disinfected or destroyed building or shed.
170. Temporary shelter for inmates of disinfected or destroyed building or shed.—The Board shall provide free of charge temporary shelter or house accommodation for the members of any family in which an infectious or contagious disease has appeared who have been compelled to leave their dwelling by reason of any proceedings taken under Section 168 or Section 169, and who desire such shelter or accommodation as aforesaid to be provided for them.
171. Disinfection of building before letting the same.
171. Disinfection of building before letting the same.—(1) Where in a cantonment any building or part of a building is intended to be let, in which any person has, within six weeks immediately preceding, been suffering from an infectious or contagious disease, the person letting the building or part shall before doing so disinfect the same in such manner as the Chief Executive Officer may, by public or special notice, direct, together with all articles therein liable to retain infection.
(2) For the purposes of this section, the keeper of a hotel, lodging house or sarai shall be deemed to let to any person who is admitted as a guest therein that part of the building in which such person is permitted to reside.
172. Disposal of infected article without disinfection.
172. Disposal of infected article without disinfection.—No person shall, without previous disinfection of the same, give, lend, sell, transmit or otherwise dispose of to another person any article or thing which he knows or has reason to believe has been exposed to contamination by any infectious or contagious disease and is likely to be used in, or taken into, a cantonment.
173. Means of disinfection.
173. Means of disinfection.—(1) Every Board shall—
(a) provide proper places with necessary attendants and apparatus for the disinfection of conveyances, clothing, bedding or other articles which have been exposed to infection;
(b) cause conveyances, clothing or other articles brought for disinfection to be disinfected either free of charge or on payment of such charges as the Chief Executive Officer may fix.
(2) The Chief Executive Officer may notify places at which articles of clothing, bedding, conveyances or other articles which have been exposed to infection shall be washed, and, if it does so, no person shall wash any such thing at any place not so notified without having previously disinfected such thing.
(3) The Chief Executive Officer may direct the destruction of any clothing, bedding or other article in the cantonment likely to retain infection, and may give such compensation as he thinks fit for any article so destroyed.
174. Making or selling of food, etc., or washing clothes by infected person.
174. Making or selling of food, etc., or washing clothes by infected person.—Whoever, while suffering from, or in circumstances in which he is likely to spread, any infectious or contagious disease,—
(a) makes, carries or offers for sale in a cantonment or takes any part in the business of making, carrying or offering for sale therein any article of food or drink or any medicine or drug for human consumption, or any article of clothing or bedding for personal use or wear; or
(b) takes any part in the business of the washing or carrying of clothes,
shall be punishable with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees.
175. Power to restrict or prohibit sale of food or drink.
175. Power to restrict or prohibit sale of food or drink.—When a cantonment is visited or threatened by an outbreak of any infectious or contagious disease, the Chief Executive Officer on behalf of the Board may, by public notice, restrict in such manner or prohibit for such period, as may be specified in the notice, the sale or preparation of any article of food or drink for human consumption specified in the notice or the sale of any flesh of any description of animals so specified.
176. Control over wells, tanks, etc.
176. Control over wells, tanks, etc.—(1) If the Chief Executive Officer on the advice given by the Health Officer is of opinion that the water in any well, tank or other place is likely, if used for drinking, to endanger, or cause the spread of, any disease, it may,—
(a) by public notice, prohibit the removal or use of such water for drinking;
(b) by notice in writing, require the owner or person having control of such well, tank or place to take such steps as may be directed by the notice to prevent the public from having access to or using such water; or
(c) take such other steps as it may consider expedient to prevent the outbreak or spread of any such disease.
(2) In the event of a cantonment or any part of a cantonment being visited or threatened by an outbreak of any infectious or contagious disease, the Health Officer or any person authorised by him in this behalf may, without notice and at any time, inspect and disinfect any well, tank or other place from which water is, or is likely to be, taken for the purposes of drinking, and may further take such steps as he thinks fit to ensure the purity of the water or to prevent the use of the same for drinking purposes.
177. Disposal of infectious corpse.
177. Disposal of infectious corpse.—Where any person has died in a cantonment from any infectious or contagious disease, the Chief Executive Officer, may, by notice in writing,—
(a) require any person having charge of the corpse to convey the same to a mortuary, thereafter to be disposed of in accordance with law; or
(b) prohibit the removal of the corpse from the place where death occurred except for the purpose of being buried or burned or of being conveyed to a mortuary.
Hospitals and dispensaries
178. Maintenance or aiding of hospitals or dispensaries.
178. Maintenance or aiding of hospitals or dispensaries.—(1) A Board may—
(a) provide and maintain either within or without the cantonment as many hospitals and dispensaries as it thinks fit; or
(b) make, upon such terms as it thinks fit to impose, a grant-in-aid to any hospital or dispensary or veterinary hospital, whether within or without the cantonment, not maintained by it.
(2) Every hospital or dispensary maintained or aided under sub-section (1) shall have attached to it a ward or wards for the treatment of persons suffering from infectious or contagious diseases.
(3) The Medical Officer appointed by the Board shall be in charge of every Hospital and dispensary maintained or aided under this section and be responsible to the Health Officer for medical activities and to the Chief Executive Officer for over all administrative activities of the hospital.
179. Medical supplies, appliances, etc.
179. Medical supplies, appliances, etc.—(1) Every hospital or dispensary maintained or aided under Section 178 shall be maintained in accordance with any general or special orders of the Central Government for the conduct of hospitals and dispensaries or in accordance with the said orders modified in such manner as the Central Government may think fit.
(2) The Board shall cause every such hospital or dispensary to be provided with all requisite drugs, instruments, apparatus, furniture and appliances and with sufficient cots, bedding and clothing for in-patients.
180. Free patients.
180. Free patients.—At every hospital or dispensary maintained or aided under Section 178, the sick poor of the cantonment, and other inhabitants of the cantonment suffering from infectious, communicable or contagious disease, and, with the sanction of the Board, any other sick persons, may receive medical or surgical treatment free of cost, and, if treated as in-patients, shall be either dieted gratuitously or, if the medical officer in charge so directs, shall be granted subsistence allowance on such scale as the Board may fix.
181. Paying patients.
181. Paying patients.—Any sick person who is ineligible to receive medical or surgical treatment free of cost in any hospital or dispensary under Section 180 may be admitted for treatment therein upon such terms as the Board thinks fit.
182. Power to order person to attend hospital or dispensary.
182. Power to order person to attend hospital or dispensary.—(1) If the Health Officer or the Medical Officer in charge of a hospital or dispensary maintained or aided under Section 178 has reason to believe that any person living in the cantonment is suffering from an infectious, communicable or contagious disease, he may, by notice in writing, call upon such person to attend for examination at any such hospital or dispensary at such time as may be specified in the notice and not to quit it without the permission of the Medical Officer in charge; and, on the arrival of such person at the hospital or dispensary, the Medical Officer in charge thereof may examine him for the purpose of satisfying himself whether or not such person is suffering from an infectious, communicable or contagious disease:
Provided that, if, having regard to the nature of the disease or the condition of the person suffering therefrom, or the general environment and circumstances of such person, the Health Officer or Medical Officer, as the case may be, considers that the attendance of such person at a hospital or dispensary is likely to prove unnecessary or inexpedient, he shall examine such person at such person's own residence.
(2) If any person on examination under sub-section (1), is found to be suffering from an infectious or contagious disease, the Health Officer or Medical Officer, as the case may be, may cause him to be detained in hospital until he is free from the infection or contagion:
Provided that, if having regard to the nature of the disease or the condition of the person suffering therefrom, or the general environment and circumstances of such person, he considers that the detention of such person at a hospital or dispensary is unnecessary or inexpedient, he shall discharge such person and take such measures or give such directions in the matter as he thinks necessary.
183. Power to exclude from cantonment persons refusing to attend hospital or dispensary.
183. Power to exclude from cantonment persons refusing to attend hospital or dispensary.—(1) If the Health Officer or the Medical Officer in charge of a hospital or dispensary maintained or aided under Section 178 reports in writing to the Officer Commanding the Station that any person having received a notice under Section 182 has refused or omitted to attend at the hospital or dispensary, specified in the notice, or that such person, having attended the hospital or dispensary, has quitted it without the permission of such Medical Officer, or that any person has failed to comply with any direction given to him under Section 182, the Officer Commanding the Station may, by order in writing, direct such person to be removed from the cantonment within twenty-four hours and not to re-enter it without his permission in writing.
(2) No person who has under sub-section (1) been ordered to be removed from and not to re-enter a cantonment shall enter any other cantonment without the written permission of the Officer Commanding the station.
Control of traffic for hygienic purposes
184. Routes for pilgrims and others.
184. Routes for pilgrims and others.—(1) A Board may provide or prescribe suitable routes for the use of persons passing through the cantonment—
(a) on their way to or from fairs or places of pilgrimage or other places of public resort; or
(b) during times when an infectious or contagious disease is prevalent, and may, by public notice, require such persons as aforesaid to use such routes and no others.
(2) All routes provided or prescribed under sub-section (1) shall be clearly and sufficiently indicated by the Board.
Special conditions regarding essential services
185. Conditions of service of safai karamcharis and others.
185. Conditions of service of safai karamcharis and others.—(1) No person employed in any service, or being employed in connection with the working of any system of public conservancy or sanitation or water supply or hospitals or dispensaries or electric supply or public transport services or such other essential services under a Board in any cantonment area, shall, in the absence of any contract, resign without reasonable cause or absent himself from duty without proper authority and in case of such resignation or absence from duty he shall be punishable with imprisonment which may extend to one month; and the conditions of service specified herein shall, invariably be mentioned in the appointment letter of the persons employed to said services.
(2) The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, direct that on and from such date as may be specified in the notification, the provisions of this section shall apply in the case of any specified class of employees employed by a Board whose functions intimately concern the public health or safety.
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