Cross-border dumping: NGT directs Kerala to pay TN for clearing its waste
Kerala says its sole processing facility is unable to manage all the biomedical waste, and that a proposal to build five more plants is caught in a legal tangle with the SC
National Green Tribunal
CHENNAI: Coming down heavily on the Kerala government for its failure to curb illegal dumping of biomedical waste in Tamil Nadu borders, the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed Kerala to pay the costs incurred by the Tamil Nadu government while clearing the waste.
While hearing a case pertaining to the illegal dumping of waste, the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has informed the bench that the state has only one processing facility to manage biomedical waste. Though there has been a proposal to build five new plants, they have been delayed following a stay order from the Supreme Court.
After hearing the submission, the bench comprising Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati asked the KSPCB why the board is granting permission for new hospitals if the state does not have sufficient facilities to process biomedical waste.
The bench also suggested the KSPCB to tie up with processing plants in neighbouring Tamil Nadu or Karnataka to process the waste. It also directed the KSPCB chairpersons to appear during the next hearing with details of the total quantum of biomedical waste generated in Kerala and the capacity of existing treatment facilities.
Meanwhile, the counsel for the Tamil Nadu government pointed out reports of fresh dumping on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border in Tirunelveli district and requested the NGT to direct Kerala to reimburse the cost of clearing freshly dumped waste as well as past dumping.
The bench then directed the Local Self Government Department of Kerala to pay the costs to KSPCB and KSPCB to in turn pay the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB).
In another case related to bulk waste generation in Chennai, the bench observed that the penalties imposed by the Greater Chennai Corporation against bulk waste generators, who violated norms, is too low and opined that the civic body should not be lenient.
It further directed the KSPCB to identify bulk waste generators in Kerala and how they manage their waste. The Tribunal will seek similar details from other southern states.