Invoke Goondas Act against those dumping Kerala medical waste in Tenkasi: TN BJP chief Nainar

CHENNAI: BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran on Thursday accused the ruling TVK government of failing to prevent Kerala's illegal dumping of hazardous waste in Tamil Nadu and demanded stringent action against those responsible.

In a statement, he alleged that tonnes of biomedical waste brought from the neighbouring State were being dumped and burnt in agricultural fields and open spaces in Tenkasi district. He pointed to discarded bottles labelled 'For sale in Kerala only' as evidence of the alleged interstate movement of waste. He demanded that authorities book those involved under the Goondas Act, warning that the State could not become a dumping ground for Kerala's waste.

Questioning the government's failure to prevent such consignments from entering Tamil Nadu, Nainar said Kerala maintained stringent border checks to keep out waste from other states, while Tamil Nadu failed to exercise similar vigilance.

He alleged that the problem was not confined to Tenkasi but extended to several districts along the Kerala border, threatening agricultural land, public health and the environment.

His remarks came amid a fresh incident at Veppankulam near Sankarankovil, where tonnes of hospital and plastic waste, suspected to have originated in Kerala, were reportedly dumped on private land and set on fire on Tuesday night. Police and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board officials have initiated an inquiry into the incident.

Urging Chief Minister Joseph Vijay to take up the issue with his Kerala counterpart, the former minister called for intensified surveillance at border check-posts and the immediate seizure of vehicles transporting waste illegally.