Environment officers and police beside a truck seized off Mulehole checkpost near Gundlupet, Chamarajanagar.
Credit: Special Arrangement
Bengaluru: Days after trucks carrying toxic waste from Kerala were seized by officials of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), authorities in Karnataka and Kerala said a multi-pronged approach involving stakeholders from different sectors will be adopted to curb violations.
On Monday, officials from KSPCB seized six trucks carrying plastic waste from Kerala, off Mulehole checkpost in Gundlupet, Chamarajanagar district.
The illegal dumping of waste from the neighbouring state has hit the headlines since 2019, raising concerns about the impact of waste on the wildlife in Bandipur, Nagarahole and BRT tiger reserves.
KSPCB member secretary H C Balachandra said the matter was discussed with his counterpart in the pollution control board (PCB) of Kerala on Wednesday.
“We have written a letter in this regard to central PCB, Kerala PCB, deputy commissioners and superintendents of police of Wayanad, Chamarajanagar, Mysuru, Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada districts,” he said.
Interestingly, a week before the seizure on Monday, the Kerala PCB had written to the CPCB, laying out a roadmap to check the illegal dumping of waste in border areas with Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The initiatives include a programme to instal GPS devices to track all garbage trucks, checking vehicles on the ground by transport, forest authorities and an effective patrolling of border areas to prevent illegal activities.
Kerala PCB chairperson Srikala S told DH that the issue of illegal garbage transport was taken seriously following an incident in Tamil Nadu in December last, which led the National Green Tribunal to register a case.
“Our online monitoring system is getting ready and it will be up by December. Other works like inspection and patrolling on the border will be taken up. I have also spoken to the KSPCB member secretary on the matter and we will resolve the matter at the earliest,” she said.
Srikala sought to clarify that the six trucks seized in Karnataka were carrying plastic waste to a cement industry.
“I have been told that the drivers did not carry relevant documents with them. I have sought details of the complaint and the FIR. Prima facie, we have learnt that the plastic was meant for incineration in a cement industry,” she added.