After NGT order, Kerala clears dumped medical waste in TN's Tirunelveli

Chennai, Dec 22 Following a strict directive from the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Vijayan government has deployed a team to Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu, to retrieve medical waste allegedly dumped by middlemen employed by hospitals in Kerala.

The NGT directed the Kerala government to remove the waste by December 23.

A team from Kerala, led by Assistant Collector Albert, has initiated the removal process.

Eight trucks have been deployed to transport the waste back to Kerala. The dumping of medical waste in Tirunelveli has sparked outrage in Tamil Nadu, particularly in areas like Nadukallur, Kodaganallur, Kondanagaram, and Suthamalli, where the waste was dumped.

Complaints have been lodged with the Suthamalli police, resulting in six cases being registered. Two individuals from Tirunelveli, including a lorry owner and a supervisor of a private waste management company from Kerala, have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the illegal transport and dumping of the waste.

Tirunelveli District Collector Karthikeyan expressed concerns over the claims made by the Kerala inspection team regarding the waste being non-hazardous.

He questioned why middlemen were hired and significant sums of money spent if the waste was harmless.

Karthikeyan emphasised the need for strict action against those responsible to prevent future incidents.

Large quantities of biomedical, plastic, and food waste from the Thiruvananthapuram Regional Cancer Centre and a private hospital in Kerala were found dumped in the Kodaganallur and Palavoor villages of Tirunelveli.

The waste included hazardous materials such as used syringes, PPE kits, and medical records containing sensitive personal information, raising serious health, environmental, and data privacy concerns.

Residents have reported that the dumping, often occurring at night, has polluted local water sources, harmed livestock, and caused health issues.

Despite repeated complaints from landowners, the issue remains unresolved.

Police suspect trucks, allegedly transporting waste to a nearby paper mill, are involved in the illegal dumping.

C.M. Kumaraswamy, a social worker told IANS, "Even though installing CCTV cameras at strategic locations to monitor and identify vehicles that dump medical waste ,was mooted by environmentalists and social workers ,no significant action has been taken.” He said this was necessary to check illegal dumping of waste.