TIRUPPUR: Residents of Eeripalayam village in Thekkalur panchayat in Avinashi on Saturday morning besieged a truck attempting to dump nearly seven tonnes of plastic waste -- allegedly transported from a private firm in Perumbavoor, Kerala -- along the banks of Kousika River and handed it over to the police. Based on a complaint from the village administrative officer of Thekkalur, the Avinashi police have registered a case against the owner of the lorry -- Thulasi Transport, a company based in Chengalpattu.
Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) officials, who inspected the spot along with Avinashi police and revenue department, told TNIE that the waste was illegally transported from JK Traders in Perumbavoor. A senior TNPCB official said that an Erode-based company, acting as a middleman, had agreed to buy and resell dry plastic waste to sugarcane processing units in Anthiyur, but later refused to purchase the waste as it was wet. "As they did not get a proper response from JK Traders, the lorry owner planned to illegally dump the plastic waste in the suburbs," added the official.
According to sources, the waste-laden truck, with a Chengalpattu registration, entered Eeripalayam on Saturday morning. A foul smell emanating from the truck raised an alarm among a few villagers, who followed the vehicle. The truck driver, Selvakumar (44) of Thiruvarur, allegedly parked the vehicle amid vegetation overgrowth along the river. Over suspicion, the villagers surrounded the truck and questioned the driver, following which it was revealed that the driver allegedly attempted to dump the plastic waste near the waterbody.
TNPCB officials said the plastic waste would be sent to a private processing unit in Sulur in Coimbatore district, and the processed waste from the unit would then be sent to a cement factory. The senior official said, "There are various circumstantial issues in sending the waste back to Kerala," adding that the charges involved in processing the waste would be collected from the lorry owner. The official further said the TNPCB would send a letter to the Kerala State Pollution Control Board in this regard.
The truck, on Thursday morning, entered Coimbatore district via Walayar -- an inter-state border -- and thus, a report on subjecting vehicles arriving from the area to inspection would also be submitted, added the official.