Several tonnes of hospital and plastic waste, suspected to have been transported from Kerala, were illegally dumped and set on fire on private land at Veppankulam village near Sankarankovil in Tenkasi district on Tuesday night, as reported in The New Indian Express. The incident triggered concerns among local residents over air pollution and the potential contamination of agricultural land.
Police and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board officials launched an inquiry on Wednesday after residents complained about the stench and smoke from the burning waste.
According to villagers, the discarded medicines and sacks used to pack the waste carried Malayalam lettering, raising suspicions that the material originated from hospitals and private establishments in Kerala.
Residents said unidentified persons had dumped and burnt the waste near Ramaneri tank during the night. The smoke and foul smell were noticed the following morning, causing breathing difficulties among residents and agricultural workers in the area.
“Some unidentified persons dumped and burnt the waste at night near Ramaneri tank. We noticed it on Wednesday morning due to the stench. Residents and farm workers found it very difficult to breathe due to the smoke from the burning waste,” residents told TNIE.
Landowner Mahalingam urged the authorities to strengthen surveillance at the Puliyarai check post and prevent vehicles carrying waste from Kerala from entering Tamil Nadu.
Residents also expressed fears that repeated dumping of hazardous waste could contaminate agricultural land and affect soil fertility.
Police, Pollution Control Board Begin Probe
D. M. Krishnababu, District Environmental Engineer, Tenkasi, told TNIE that Pollution Control Board officials would inspect the site.
Tenkasi Superintendent of Police R. Stalin said he had instructed police personnel to examine CCTV footage to determine whether the waste had been transported through the Puliyarai check post.
“We will register a case and initiate action against those responsible,” he said.
Repeat of Kerala Biomedical Waste Dumping in Tamil Nadu
The latest incident has revived concerns over the illegal transportation and dumping of waste from Kerala into Tamil Nadu.
In December 2024, large quantities of biomedical waste originating from Kerala, particularly from the Regional Cancer Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, were dumped across several villages in Tirunelveli district.
Following reports by TNIE, the National Green Tribunal took suo motu cognisance of the incident and directed the Kerala government to retrieve the illegally dumped waste.
The Kerala government subsequently transported the waste back in more than 30 trucks.
The incident prompted the Tamil Nadu government to amend the Goondas Act to enable preventive detention of individuals involved in illegal biomedical waste dumping.
Despite these measures, two major waste-dumping incidents have since been reported in Tenkasi district. In July, around 10 tonnes of plastic and electronic waste were dumped at Keezha Kadayam.
Tamil Nadu is not Keralam’s dustbin:
Tonnes of hospital/pharmaceutical, plastic & other waste from Keralam have been transported through @tnpoliceoffl check posts into Tamil Nadu and dumped & burnt near Sankarankovil in Tenkasi. Will the TVK government invoke the amended Goondas Act to detain those involved in transporting and dumping Kerala’s waste? Also, will it take action against police personnel at check posts who allowed such waste inside Tamil Nadu?@CMOTamilnadu @CMOkeralam @PMOIndia
— Thinakaran Rajamani (@thinak_) November 12, 2026
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