Chennai: National Green Tribunal’s southern zone in Chennai has ordered the Kerala govt to remove all medical waste illegally dumped in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district within three days and to reimburse the local authorities for 70,000 already spent on partial cleanup efforts.
The illegally dumped waste, including unused syringes, was traced to the Kerala govt-run Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) and Credence Multispeciality Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. The waste was concealed among domestic and food waste generated by Leela Kovalam Hotel, to avoid detection, and transported.
This marks the second instance of illegal waste dumping from Kerala in the last two months, sparking widespread criticism including from the principal opposition AIADMK. NGT took suo motu cognizance of the issue, following arguments by Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) calling for legal action against the hospitals and the hotel involved.
Local authorities began removing a portion of the dumped waste but halted the process. Tamil Nadu’s standing counsel informed the tribunal that the revenue department instructed local authorities not to continue the cleanup, citing repeat incidents. The counsel demanded that Kerala not only remove all waste but also cover the costs incurred by Tamil Nadu.
In response, the NGT, led by Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and technical member Satyagopal Korlapati, directed Kerala to clear all dumped waste within three days and transport it to authorised treatment facilities. The tribunal also ordered Kerala to reimburse 70,000 to Tamil Nadu.
When questioned about repeated violations, Kerala govt’s counsel looked clueless and submitted that unauthorised waste collectors from Kerala were responsible. During Wednesday’s hearing, Kerala govt informed the tribunal that it had only one biomedical waste treatment facility, while five proposed plants remained delayed due to legal disputes. This prompted the NGT to question how Kerala was approving new hospitals without adequate waste treatment infrastructure.
Later on Thursday, the Tirunelveli police arrested Manohar, 50, and Mayandi, 42, from Suthamalli, in connection with last week’s waste-dumping incident.
Official data shows that this is the seventh case of illegal dumping of hazardous waste filed by the Tirunelveli police since 2022. Despite these efforts, violations persist, with similar cases being rampant along the Coimbatore-Palakkad border.
