NGT Directs Kerala To Pay Tamil Nadu For Biomedical Waste Cleanup

During a hearing to Tamil Nadu's plea seeking recovery of cleanup costs on Wednesday, the tribunal held Kerala's local self-governance department accountable for the issue.

The controversy has also sparked political tensions with Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai accusing the DMK-led state government of turning a blind eye to the issue.

Source : File Photo

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) Southern Zone in Chennai has ordered the Kerala government to reimburse Tamil Nadu the expenses required to clear the illegally dumped biomedical waste. During a hearing to Tamil Nadu's plea seeking recovery of cleanup costs on Wednesday, the tribunal held Kerala's local self-governance department accountable for the issue.

The NGT also came down heavily on Kerala for the failure to stop the biomedical waste being dumped on Tamil Nadu border. It also questioned Kerala for allegedly providing approval to new hospitals without the required waste treatment processing plant, as per a report on Times of India.

The state currently has only one waste processing plant. Further, as a result of legal dispute, the state has yet to set up five other proposed plants. 

The issue came to light on December 15, when large quantities of biomedical waste, including sensitive medical records, were found dumped in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district. Notably, waste from Kerala’s Credence Private Hospital and the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) in Thiruvananthapuram was identified among the materials. The dumped waste also contained confidential patient information raising concerns about data privacy and environmental hazards.

The officials revealed that significant volumes of biomedical, food, and plastic waste from Kerala had been illegally disposed of at multiple locations, including patta lands and a waterbody in Kodaganallur and Palavoor villages. Although Tamil Nadu authorities launched an investigation into the matter, locals and activists criticised the delayed response. They stated that earlier complaints about similar incidents had been ignored.

The controversy has also sparked political tensions with Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai accusing the DMK-led state government of turning a blind eye to the issue. Annamalai alleged that the DMK government has given Kerala free rein to use Tamil Nadu as a dumping ground and it should immediately take steps to stop this practice in border districts.