The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a three-day ultimatum to the Kerala government to remove hazardous biomedical and solid waste that was allegedly illegally dumped in Tamil Nadu.
The court’s strict direction follows reports of clandestine dumping operations causing environmental hazards in Tamil Nadu’s border districts.
The bench of Judge Pushpa Satyanarayan and expert member K Satyagopal of the tribunal gave this order. The bench directed Kerala to either return the waste or enter into an agreement with Tamil Nadu’s common biomedical waste treatment facility for safe disposal.
“Kerala should withdraw the waste or formalize the MoU for its scientific disposal without delay,” the order said. Tamil Nadu’s public prosecutor, D Shanmuganathan, informed the bench that Kerala had failed to honor an earlier June 2024 directive to pay Rs 69,000 for clean-up efforts in Nanguneri, where similar dumping had taken place.
Illegal dumping of biomedical waste, allegedly sourced from hospitals and municipal establishments in Kerala, has sparked outrage. A truck carrying hazardous materials has been found in water bodies, fields and forests of Tirunelveli district. The NGT initiated a suo moto case following investigative reports highlighting the environmental hazards posed by these practices.
Local workers have alleged that unauthorized waste collectors sneak past the border and transport waste in the dark. Officials in Tamil Nadu are assessing several places including Kodaganallur, Palavoor, Kondanagram, and Sivalarkulam to quantify the amount of garbage dumped.
FIRs have been registered with the Suthamalli Police against the responsible agencies under Sections 271 and 272 of the Indian Penal Code, along with the provisions of the Environment Protection Act.
This is not the first incident of Kerala garbage being dumped in Tamil Nadu. Past incidents in Nanguneri, Theni and Anamalai have drawn sharp criticism.
“Despite judicial orders and public protests, the border districts of Tamil Nadu continue to bear the brunt of these violations,” said a senior official of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB).
The Kerala Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has admitted the lapses. Advocate VK Rema Smriti, appearing for KSPCB, told the tribunal, “Some unauthorized waste collectors who are not recognized by the government were involved in this illegal activity.” The tribunal responded by demanding strict action against these operators.
The crisis has also provoked a political reaction. Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai accused the DMK government of failing to protect the state’s environmental and territorial integrity. Annamalai said the southern districts, especially Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli and Thenkasi, have become the dumping yard of the Kerala government. “Biomedical waste, plastic waste, and chicken waste are being illegally dumped in Tamil Nadu, and checkposts have been converted into collection centres,” he alleged of high-level collusion.
Annamalai warned of public protests and threatened to march all the way to Kerala to reclaim the garbage if the situation continued.
According to the Biomedical Waste Management Rules, 2016, such materials should be treated in dedicated facilities to prevent contamination.
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