Take back your waste dumped in Tamil Nadu: NGT tells Kerala

CHENNAI: With the dumping of biomedical waste and other solid waste from Kerala into Tamil Nadu borders continuing despite several directions, the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered the Kerala government to take back the recently dumped waste in Tirunelveli to Kerala, on Thursday.

While hearing a suo motu case pertaining to dumping of waste in bordering villages of Tirunelveli, the bench comprising Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati observed that the waste has been dumped in forest areas and would affect wild animals. They also observed that the waste was from Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) in Thiruvananthapuram and other establishments.

Tamil Nadu government pleader D Shanmuganathan pointed out that the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) did not comply with an earlier order issued by the bench when biomedical waste dumped on the roadside in Nanguneri. He reminded that the bench had ordered the KSPCB to reimburse Rs 69,000 that was incurred by the local body to remove the waste from Kerala. But the amount is yet to be reimbursed. He also informed the bench that the fresh waste dumped in Tirunelveli villages were yet to be removed.

Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) counsel Sai Sathya Jith said the pollution control officials inspected the site on December 17 and the chairperson of TNPCB wrote to the chairperson of KSPCB on December 18, demanding legal action against RCC and others, besides asking his counterpart to ensuring proper monitoring on the borders. He also apprised the bench that two FIRs have been filed against establishments that dumped the waste.

While admitting that the waste dumped in Tirunelveli district were from Kerala, the counsel for KSPCB, VK Remasmrithi, argued that it was dumped by unauthorised waste collectors, who are not part of the Kerala government. She added that show cause notices have been issued to RCC and others, and said the TNPCB demands were already addressed.

Visibly livid, Shanmuganathan informed the bench that dumping has been continuing from Anaimalai to Nanguneri to Tirunelveli despite several interventions and requested the bench to send a strong signal.

Hearing all the sides, the bench directed the Kerala government and KSPCB to remove the garbage from Tirunelveli villages within three days and send them to authorised treatment facilities in Kerala or Tamil Nadu, or take them back to Kerala if the neighbouring State could not find any treatment facility. A direction has been issued to KSPCB to file the compliance report on December 23, the next date of hearing.

On Wednesday, when a similar case came for hearing, the NGT instructed Kerala to pay the costs incurred by the Tamil Nadu government while clearing the waste. As per the KSPCB submission, Kerala has only one biomedical waste treatment facility presently, which is insufficient.

Asking why the Kerala government was permitting hospitals if the State does not have sufficient processing facilities for biomedical waste, the bench directed KSPCB to file a report on the total quantum of biomedical waste generated in Kerala and the capacity of treatment facilities.