MADIKERI: Two accused with 15 sacks of plastic waste were nabbed by the Makutta Wildlife Range officers on Monday evening. The accused allegedly tried dumping the waste – brought in from Kerala – at the Makutta Reserve forest area in Kodagu.
Makutta forest is bordering Kodagu district and Kerala and is gradually turning into an open dump yard, with waste brought in from Kerala loaded in trucks. A complaint in this regard was forwarded by a few alert residents, including the Kodagu Seva Kendra representatives to the district Chief Conservator of Forests.
Following these complaints, the forest department officials fell into action. While routine checks were being made at the Makutta forest check-post, the foresters began to check the trucks for loaded garbage. Similarly, on Monday evening, a truck with 15 sacks of waste was seized near the Makutta check post.
The truck driver and cleaner allegedly planned to dump the waste at Makutta in the reserve forest area. Penchalayya and Sheena, natives of Nellore in Andhra Pradesh are the arrested accused. They were caught while driving the garbage-filled truck near Kootu Pooley Bridge on the Kodagu-Kerala border. The accused have been booked under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
“The truck was filled with 15 sacks of plastic waste that was being transported to be dumped in Makutta Reserve Forest. We will check all the vehicles at the check post to prevent such acts. Foresters will also conduct daily patrolling across the reserve forest area to prevent travellers from littering inside the forest area,” confirmed Dechamma, RFO of Makutta Forest.
She explained that branches of trees have been placed bordering the roads to prevent commuters from parking inside the forest zone. “Every day, we are clearing the litter and burning them,” she said. CCTVs have also been placed in areas that witness frequent dumping.
While the forest department has woken up to the increasing littering inside the reserve forest area, residents demand for scientific handling of the situation. “Burning of plastic waste inside the reserve forest is not a good way of handling the situation. It is even unscientific to place tree branches by the roadside to prevent parking,” shared Madan of Kodagu Seva Kendra.
Further, he shared that there needs to be stringent action in place to control the dumping of medical waste inside the forest. It is also learnt that the dumping scenario is not just witnessed by the fringes of the reserve forest but even inside the core forest area, which will impact the lives of rich wildlife sheltered in the reserve forest.