Medical waste smuggled from Kerala dumped at different places near Suthamalli in Tirunelveli district

Dumping of medical waste at different places near Suthamalli has shocked land owners who have lodged complaints with Tirunelveli district police.

Though the land owners took up the stealth operation by truck drivers with officials a few days ago, Suthamalli police registered a case only on Tuesday after a section of media carried the report over the lackadaisical attitude of the officials.

Heaps of waste packed in plastic covers were seen dumped in Government poromboke land in Pazhavur and neighbouring areas.

Meanwhile, office-bearers of Naam Tamilar Katchi, led by its joint secretary, M. Marisankar, gave a petition to the district administration on Tuesday.

He said the waste, including hospital waste, that was smuggled from neighbouring Kerala was dumped in a tank. While a medical waste incineration unit functioned at Nanguneri, such dumping of waste had happened.

A team of revenue and medical officials inspected Kallur and Kodaganallur on Tuesday morning. Certain papers bearing names of hospitals in Kerala were found among the dump. Locals complained of a foul odour emanating from the waste.

Mr. Marisankar expressed fear that the waste could ruin the environment, ground water and also cause infection to the local people.

Officials of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board and Rural Development had been asked to study the waste and take steps to appropriately handle it.

Police suspect that trucks that transport the stones from nearby quarries to Kerala offer to dump the waste in Kerala for a premium rent in the interior villages away from the roads leading to Kerala.

“How would someone dare to bring this waste into the villages in far off places,” a police source asked.

The double tyre marks found at the waste dumped site only strengthened the suspicion.

The district police were going through video footages of closed circuit television cameras to find out the trucks used for smuggling the waste. Meanwhile, based on the complaint lodged by Palavur VAO and the representatives of private land, Suthamalli police have registered cases under two Sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life and malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life and under the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act.

Published - December 17, 2024 09:54 pm IST