TIRUNELVELI: A truck from Kerala was imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 by Thanakkarkulam panchayat in Tirunelveli district on Monday for dumping meat waste at an open place in the panchayat. Alerted by people, panchayat president P Suyambulingadurai and Radhapuram police sub-inspector Johnson rushed to the spot and reloaded the waste back onto the vehicle using an earthmover. "The truck contained over 100 jute bags filled with waste from a slaughterhouse," Suyambulingadurai said. The Radhapuram police warned the truck driver to leave their station limits. No case was filed.
Speaking to TNIE, a police officer said the same load was earlier intercepted by municipal officials of Kuzhithurai in Kanniyakumari district on Sunday. "But the officials did not send it back to Kerala. So, the truck then entered Tirunelveli district and unloaded the waste," he added. TNIE confirmed this with Kuzhithurai Municipal Chairman P Asaithambi. "We stopped a truck on Sunday as a foul smell was emanating from it. It contained meat waste and we imposed a penalty of `5,000 on the truck. As the truck was slightly damaged, the load was shifted to two other trucks. The vehicles were then ordered to leave our municipality limits," he said.
According to Suyambulingadurai, the truck driver told him that the owner of a slaughterhouse near Ernakulam paid him Rs 40,000 to dump the waste in Tamil Nadu. "He was given another `20,000 for bribing officials at the checkpost. If we include loading and unloading charges, slaughterhouses spend around `1 lakh to send one meat waste truck to Tamil Nadu," he said adding that Radhapuram police refused to register a case against the truck driver as they claimed Kanniyakumari police should be held responsible for allowing the truck to enter the State.
This is not an isolated incident. Alangulam-based social activist J Isaac Immanuel said several companies in the neighbouring State have been illegally discarding meat, bio-medical, plastic and electronic wastes regularly in water bodies bordering Tamil Nadu. He demanded the State government to frame stringent guidelines on dealing with such issues. "The Kanniyakumari police should have stopped this truck at the checkpost. At least, the Kuzhithurai municipality officials should have sent it back to Kerala when they intercepted it. Now, the police of southern districts should launch a search for the other truck that started from Kuzhithurai," he said.
Repeated attempts of TNIE to reach Kanniyakumari Superintendent of Police (SP) D N Hari Kiran Prasad went in vain. Tirunelveli SP P Saravanan said, "We can only penalise the truck owners, drivers and the person who is sending the waste from Kerala. Where to send the wastes should be decided during the inter-State meetings by District Collectors and SPs from both the States. I will raise the issue with the SPs of our bordering districts."