THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Corporation has submitted a report to the government on the incident of medical waste being dumped in Tamil Nadu. The report was submitted to the Principal Secretary of the Local Self Government Department.

The report says that there was a lapse in supervision and that proper inspections of officials were not carried out. The report mainly says that there was a lapse in RCC. Even though it is an agency that collects waste, RCC hands over the waste without sorting it. Blood-stained cotton, sheets, and syringes were not included in medical waste but were mixed with inorganic waste by its employees. This waste was taken and dumped by a private agency in various places in Tamil Nadu. It is indicated that further action will be taken after studying the report. There are also allegations that proper inspections are not being carried out at the Corporation level even after this incident.

Dumping waste in Tamil Nadu for years

The company which was subcontracted by Sun Age, which received permission from the Corporation, was the one dumping the waste in Tamil Nadu. It has also been found that they have been illegally dumping waste in Tamil Nadu for years without anyone knowing.

Key points

• It has been found that waste has been dumped for kilometers in places like Vellalankulam, Plavoor, Bharathiyar Nagar, Nellai taluk, and Konda Nagar in Kanyakumari district. This information has not gone public since it is uninhabited.

• Waste from the capital has been getting dumped here for years.

• Most of the waste is from RCC

• Blood-stained cotton, sheets stained with blood after operations, cloths, pills, and syringes were found

• Waste was burned in many places

• Shredded plastic waste was dumped in loads.

• Waste was dumped in even ponds built for cattle to drink water.

• Corporation has collected 30 loads of waste from Tamil Nadu for processing at various locations.

13 institutions to be fined

The Pollution Control Board will impose a fine on 13 institutions that handed over unclassified waste to unauthorized agencies illegally. RCC will be fined at least Rs 15 lakh for the detection of hazardous medical waste such as biohazard. The fine for other institutions will be less than Rs 10 lakh.

The report also states that Sun Age, a private waste agency, obtained permission by misleading the Corporation. Documents were submitted by misleading the Suchitva Mission, Pollution Control Board, and the Corporation. The report also mentions that waste was collected from other institutions by showing permission papers.