TIRUNELVELI: Several tonnes of hospital and plastic waste, suspected to be from Kerala, were dumped on a private land at Veppankulam village near Sankarankovil and set on fire on Tuesday night. Police and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board officials began an inquiry on Wednesday.
According to residents, medicines and sacks in which the waste was packed had Malayalam letters, indicating that they were from Kerala-based hospitals and firms. “Some unidentified persons dumped and burnt the waste at night near Ramaneri tank. We noticed it on Wednesday morning due to the stench. Residents and farm workers found it very difficult to breathe due to the smoke from the burning waste,” residents said. Land owner Mahalingam urged police to strengthen security at the Puliyarai check post and prevent vehicles from transporting waste from Kerala.
Residents expressed concerns that farm lands could become infertile if such hazardous waste was dumped on them.
When contacted, D M Krishnababu, District Environmental Engineer, Tenkasi, told TNIE that his team would inspect the spot. R Stalin, Superintendent of Police, Tenkasi, told TNIE that he had instructed personnel to analyse CCTV footage to check whether the waste was brought through the Puliyarai check post. “We will register a case and initiate action against those responsible,” he said.
It may be recalled that in December 2024, a huge quantity of biomedical waste from Kerala, particularly from the Regional Cancer Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, was dumped in several villages in Tirunelveli district.
Based on TNIE’s reports on the incident, the National Green Tribunal took suo motu cognisance and directed the Kerala government to retrieve its waste.
The Kerala government subsequently took back the waste in more than 30 trucks. The incident prompted the Tamil Nadu government to amend the Goondas Act to enable the preventive detention of those involved in illegal biomedical waste dumping.
Since then, two major waste-dumping incidents have been reported in Tenkasi district – one involving around 10 tonnes of plastic and electronic waste dumped at Keezha Kadayam in July and the latest one at Veppankulam.