The Kerala government has come under scrutiny for dumping tons of poultry/meat wastes, especially the remains of slaughtered cows in TN villages near Radhapuram, Tirunelveli. This has become a looming menace for the residents of the Radhapuram region, where the dumping of waste is being done with scant regard by Kerala government.
Residents have come forward to complain that the waste that is being dumped has been emitting an extremely foul odour, leaving the citizens to gasp for air. In addition to this, this has become a breeding ground for pathogens and mosquitoes, acting as the hub for disease spread.
As recent as the 28th of February, a lorry bearing the Kerala registration plate dumped about 3 tonnes of poultry waste on the Radhapuram border. Despite the local police having been brought to notice about the issue, they did little to combat the problem, and instead fined them ₹5000 and let them go without filing an FIR. The Health Department also did nothing to take stock of the situation. Last year, lorries that had attempted to dump poultry waste near Kudankulam was caught red-handed and a fine of ₹1 lakh was imposed by the local police. When they took this to the court, the justice let them go for a fine of ₹10,000 instead.
Notably, Tamil Nadu isn’t the only neighbour being exploited by Kerala government as Karnataka faced a similar plight recently. It has been illegally dumping hazardous biomedical waste and animal waste in Karnataka, jeopardising the lives of locals and polluting the environment in Kodagu, Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts.
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