TIRUNELVELI: A 42-year-old man was detained under the Goondas Act here on Friday, for allegedly helping to illegally dump Kerala waste near the Suthamalli area, posing threat to public health. The district police identified the accused person as A Mayandi, a resident of Rajiv Gandhi Nagar in Suthamalli.
"Various types of wastes were transported in vehicles from Kerala and dumped in areas under the jurisdiction of Suthamalli police station, without adhering to government regulations. Following complaints, cases were registered, and the accused persons involved in the incident were arrested and remanded in prison.
Police inspector Sonamuthu of Suthamalli, citing multiple cases against Mayandi for dumping waste and compromising public health, recommended invoking the Goondas Act. Acting on his request, Superintendent of Police N Silambarasan forwarded the recommendation to District Collector Dr KP Karthikeyan, who issued the detention order. The order was served to Mayandi at Palayamkottai Central Prison on Friday," said sources.
According to sources, Mayandi and a few others have been acting as agents in finding places for dumping waste from Kerala. It may be noted that the biomedical, food, plastic and other wastes that were dumped in various locations including Kodaganallur, Palavoor and Kondanagaram villages in Tirunelveli district were sent back to Kerala last month, after the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal took a suo motu case based on TNIE's report.