Ramp up border vigil, repel Kerala waste, NGT tells TN

CHENNAI: Noting that Kerala is dumping human excreta (sewage) into Tamil Nadu apart from the biomedical waste, the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Tamil Nadu government to constitute a task force to strengthen the border security to prevent such waste making way to the state.

Hearing a suo motu case pertaining to the dumping of biomedical waste by Kerala in the bordering villages of Tirunelveli district, the bench comprising Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and Satyagopal Korlapati (Expert Member) observed that four tankers carrying waste from Kerala were caught in Kaliyakkavilai in Kanniyakumari district on December 23. "The violations are recurring and it is high time for the Kerala government to take appropriate action to stop sending waste to neighbouring states," the bench said and directed the Tamil Nadu government to strengthen border security by forming a task force.

The bench also instructed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to issue SOP (standard operating procedure) and guidelines to handle biomedical waste.

During the hearing, the tribunal was apprised that Kerala has only one authorised agency named IMAGE (Indian Medical Association Goes Eco-friendly) to handle the biomedical waste of the entire state, and the agency had obtained a stay against appointing other agencies from the Supreme Court.

On the other hand, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) alleged that the experts from IMAGE took part in the official inspections at the dumped site as well as in the high-level meetings. The TNPCB counsel informed the bench that IMAGE was the perpetrator but was included as the prosecutor.

"We are given to understand that IMAGE is the only authorised agency to remove biomedical waste in Kerala. But KSPCB (Kerala State Pollution Control Board) has not issued a notice to IMAGE. Let KSPCB explain why they have not," the bench said.

Expressing disappointment, the bench said KSPCB has failed to take action against the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) in Thiruvananthapuram and Kovalam Resorts Pvt Ltd who failed to respond to show cause notices issued by the board within a given time.

"Violators are permitted to operate without any hindrance because of the inaction by authorities. Resorts could have been stopped from operation until the inquiry. This is not the first instance of dumping waste in Tamil Nadu," the bench observed.

During an earlier hearing on December 19, the bench directed Kerala to take back the biomedical waste dumped in Tirunelveli villages to which the neighbouring state adhered. However, the Kerala government failed to explain the quantity of waste taken back during Thursday's hearing. The bench instructed KSPCB to provide details of the quantity before the next hearing on January 20.