NGT Directs Kerala to Recover Medical Waste Disposed in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu
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Chennai, Dec 20 (NationPress) The southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has mandated the Kerala government to recover medical waste that has been recently discarded in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu.
The bench, which includes Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Sathyagopal Korlapti, ordered that the waste must be removed within three days.
The discarded material is to be sent to approved treatment facilities in either Kerala or Tamil Nadu, or returned to Kerala if no appropriate facility exists in Tamil Nadu.
The Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has been directed to submit a compliance report by December 23, which is the date of the next hearing.
The tribunal was addressing a suo motu case on Thursday regarding the disposal of biomedical waste in villages adjacent to Tirunelveli.
It was noted that the waste had been improperly discarded in forested areas, posing a significant threat to wildlife.
The tribunal also highlighted that this waste originated from the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) in Thiruvananthapuram and other facilities in Kerala.
Tamil Nadu government pleader D. Shanmuganathan pointed out that the KSPCB failed to comply with a previous order from the tribunal.
This earlier directive was related to biomedical waste that was dumped along roadsides in Nanguneri. The NGT had ordered the KSPCB to reimburse Rs 69,000 spent by the local body for waste clearance.
Reports indicate that this reimbursement has not yet been processed. The pleader informed the bench that the newly dumped waste in Tirunelveli villages has also not been addressed.
Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) counsel Sai Sathya Jith stated that pollution control officials conducted an inspection of the site on December 17.
The chairperson of the TNPCB subsequently sent a letter to the chairperson of the KSPCB on December 18, requesting legal action against the RCC and other offenders.
Sai Sathya Jith further informed the bench that two FIRs have been lodged against those responsible for the waste dumping.
KSPCB counsel V.K. Remasmrithi acknowledged that the waste originated from Kerala but argued that unauthorized waste collectors, who are not associated with the Kerala government, were the culprits behind the dumping.
She added that show-cause notices have been issued to the RCC and other implicated establishments.
She also contended that the demands from the TNPCB were being appropriately addressed.
However, the Tamil Nadu government pleader expressed frustration over the persistent issue of waste dumping, which he claimed has been a recurring problem from Anaimalai to Nanguneri and now to Tirunelveli, despite numerous interventions.
He urged the tribunal to issue a strong warning to prevent further incidents.
On Wednesday, in a related case, the NGT instructed Kerala to cover the expenses incurred by the Tamil Nadu government in clearing the dumped waste.
During the proceedings, the KSPCB admitted that Kerala possesses only one biomedical waste treatment facility, which is insufficient to manage the state's waste.
The bench inquired why the Kerala government allows hospitals to operate without providing adequate waste processing facilities.
The NGT also directed the KSPCB to provide a detailed report on the total amount of biomedical waste generated in Kerala and the capacity of its treatment facilities.
