Four days after the medical and bio waste from Kerala dumped in Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu turned into a row, the National Green Tribunal on Thursday directed Kerala government to remove all the wastes within three days while holding Kerala’s local self-governance department accountable for the issue. The NGT also asked the Kerala State Pollution Control Board to file their action taken report, while posting the matter for December 23.
The bench of Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal K., while hearing the suo motu case taking cognisance of reports on biomedical waste, ordered the Kerala government to reimburse Tamil Nadu the expenses required to clear the illegally dumped biomedical waste.
While hearing Tamil Nadu's plea seeking recovery of cleanup costs, NGT said that Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has already written to the Kerala anti-pollution board to carry out appropriate action against the Regional Cancer Centre for illegal transportation and dumping of the solid bio medical waste.
The TNPCB also sought action against The Leela Kovalam for illegal transportation of the waste and dumping it in the border. TNPCB also urged that the border areas should be monitored to prevent such illegal transportation.
The issue of dumping waste in Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu, turned into a huge controversy after reports emerged in newspapers about the huge bags of waste dumped along with medical records and hospital bills.
Incidentally, the waste was from Kerala’s Credence Private Hospital and the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) in Thiruvananthapuram. The waste was dumped in several parts of Tirunelveli in South Tamil Nadu including ‘patta’ lands and a waterbody in Kodaganallur and Palavoor village.