The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday directed the Kerala government and the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to remove biomedical and mixed solid waste dumped in villages in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district within three days.
The bench comprising Justice Pushpa Satyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati asked the Kerala government to submit the report by December 23.
On Tuesday, reports surfaced that heaps of waste, including biomedical waste from the Regional Cancer Center in Thiruvananthapuram, had been dumped at several places in Tirunelveli.
According to Tamil Nadu’s Standing Counsel, the villages where garbage is dumped include Kodaganallur, Pazhavoor, Kondanagram and Sivaniyarkulam.
During the hearing, the lawyer told the bench that dumping of biomedical waste from Kerala was a recurring problem, and cited past incidents in Anamalai and Nanguneri. He noted that in Nanguneri, the Tamil Nadu government had taken steps to clear the garbage, but despite the bench’s directive, the Kerala government had not been able to pay the dues of ₹ 69,000. As a result, the revenue department directed the Tamil Nadu authorities not to remove the garbage this time.
Demanded to take legal action
Counsel appearing for the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) informed the bench that the TNPCB Chairman had written to his counterpart in Kerala requesting legal action for transporting organic and mixed waste to the Regional Cancer Center in Thiruvananthapuram. Legal action should be taken against Hotel Leela, which transports illegal garbage, and coordination with the Police and Transport Department should be carried out in order to prevent such incidents from happening again.
Further, the counsel informed that two FIRs have been filed in connection with the case and the State intends to file a fresh one naming the responsible parties.
KSPCB’s counsel told the bench that action was initiated based on TNPCB’s letter, and a show cause notice was issued. Unauthorized scavengers who are not registered with the local self-government can dump waste in Tamil Nadu, the advisor added.
Noting that some of the waste was dumped in forest areas, which could endanger wildlife and nearby residents, the bench asked the Kerala government to address the issue expeditiously. It directed that the waste be taken to a processing plant in Kerala or Tamil Nadu. Notices were issued to Tamil Nadu and Kerala government officials and regional cancer centers and Credence Multispeciality Family Hospital.
Close monitoring of the crossing: Tennarsu
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Thangam has said that the state government is closely monitoring Kerala’s border areas to prevent dumping of medical waste in Tamil Nadu.
Reacting to allegations of inaction by AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, the minister said the DMK government had written to the Central Pollution Control Board to direct the KSPCB to take action.
He said that recently two people from Tirunelveli district were arrested for littering in Kallor. “After assuming office, the DMK government has increased vigilance in Tamil Nadu to stop dumping of garbage from Kerala. We have taken strict action against those involved,” he said.
published – December 20, 2024 at 12:54 pm IST