THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Despite repeated complaints from other states, including Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the illegal transportation of waste from Kerala to other states continues unabated.
On Monday, as many as six trucks with Kerala registration carrying tonnes of animal, plastic and biomedical waste were seized near the Mulehole checkpost in Gundlupet in Karnataka. It is learned that the vehicles had no proper documents and the Gundlupet police have filed an FIR against seven individuals involved in transporting waste.
This is not the first time other states have raised similar complaints against Kerala. In May this year, a similar incident was flagged. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) also intervened in the matter prompting the Local Self Government Department (LSGD) and the state Pollution Control Board to take necessary steps to curb the illegal dumping of waste in other states.
Chairperson of Kerala State Pollution Control Board Sreekala S told TNIE that the matter had come to their notice. “We are awaiting for more information from the PCB authorities in Karnataka. We are yet to get an official report from them.
From the preliminary inquiry, it was found that the trucks were from Kerala and it was en route to a cement factory in Andhra Pradesh. From the information they provided, they didn’t have proper documents. We are waiting for the official report. We have alerted all the District Collectors to track such violations,” said Sreekala.
She said that plans were afoot to introduce a GPS tracking system in all vehicles deployed for inter-state transportation of waste. “Its getting ready and will be deployed soon and this will help curb such violations,” she added.
Currently, the government has tied up with cement factories and recycling plants in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and other states for disposing of tonnes of rejects and non-biodegradable waste generated in Kerala.
The Clean Kerala Company Ltd (CKCL), an agency under the LSGD ensuring the scientific handling of waste generated in over 720 local bodies in Kerala, transports around 3,000 tonnes of waste to various cement factories every month.
As per the findings of the CPCB, Kerala is able to handle only 30 percent of the total waste generated. The state with a population of over 3.34 crore generates around 3.7 million tonnes of municipal solid waste annually. The CKCL has tied up with 50 empanelled service providers for handling waste.
“We are in the process of introducing an online system for tracking the generation, collection and movement of waste. We have given direction to the local bodies to prepare a transportation plan. All this will be integrated in the Haritha Mithram application. Such issues will be resolved once this is in place,” said LSGD special secretary T V Anupama.
Unauthorised operators in both states involved in violations
According to sources, there are illegal transporters operating in the state collecting waste at discounted rates and handing it over to illegal operators based in Mangaluru.
Ibrahim Ammankulangara, a private service provider based in Malappuram, said that some of the local bodies were inviting tenders and roping in empanelled agencies.
“They only compare the rates and give the waste to the agencies who charges less. There are agencies illegally handing over this waste to illegal operators in other states. They take money from both parties. These trucks come back with groceries from Karnataka. There are also container trucks from other states coming to Kerala with animals for slaughtering. These trucks are sent back loaded with waste by these operators,” alleged Ammankulangara.