The clearing of hazardous waste, including biomedical and plastic garbage, which had been transported from Kerala and dumped in various parts of Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu, began on Sunday under supervision of officials of both states.
The action was taken following strict instructions to Kerala from the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on December 19 in a suo motu case.
“…it would be appropriate for the Government of Kerala to remove the waste of all nature dumped inside Tamil Nadu forthwith and either take it to the State of Kerala or arrange to get them treated in any authorized treatment facilities,” the order from the bench of justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati read.
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The biomedical and other waste reportedly belonging to the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) and another private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram was found dumped in six locations across panchayats like Pazhavoor, Kodaganallur, Kallur and Kondanagaram. The waste contained syringes, masks, PPE kits, blood samples and other hazardous materials.
Around 20 officials from the Kerala state pollution control board, Thiruvananthapuram district administration and the Thiruvananthapuram municipal corporation were in Tirunelveli on Sunday to oversee the clearing operations. At least 16 trucks were used to transport the waste back to Kerala.
{{/usCountry}}Around 20 officials from the Kerala state pollution control board, Thiruvananthapuram district administration and the Thiruvananthapuram municipal corporation were in Tirunelveli on Sunday to oversee the clearing operations. At least 16 trucks were used to transport the waste back to Kerala.
{{/usCountry}}“We began clearing the waste in six locations after detailed talks with the Tamil Nadu government. After collecting the waste, we will segregate it and draw up a detailed plan for disposal,” an official, who did not wish to be identified, said.
The Kerala government has initiated an investigation to find those responsible for the transport of the waste to the neighbouring state. It will likely submit a statement before the NGT on Monday with an update on the clearing of the waste from Tirunelveli.
So far, four people including a Kerala native have been arrested for facilitating and dumping the waste.
Following the incident, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) blamed the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government. BJP’s Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai threatened to protest by bringing in trucks to take the waste back to the neighbouring state.