TN police intensify vigil at Kerala border checkposts following medical waste dumping in Tirunelveli

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Chennai, Dec 18 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu police have ramped up security measures at border check posts with Kerala after reports of medical waste being dumped in a public area at Palavoor, Kadangallur, in Tirunelveli district surfaced.

Patrolling has been intensified across various check posts in districts including Kanyakumari, Coimbatore, Gudalur, and Theni. Tirunelveli district police have warned of strict action against those involved in the illegal disposal.

Environmental activists allege that large quantities of medical waste are being transported illegally from Kerala and dumped in Tamil Nadu, urging authorities to enforce stringent measures to prevent such hazardous practices.

The Palavoor police have registered a case under Sections 271 and 272 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Environment Protection Act. Efforts are underway to trace the culprits using CCTV footage from strategic locations. Officials from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) and the Department of Rural Development have inspected the site to evaluate the extent of the issue.

This incident is part of a larger pattern of illegal waste dumping. Reports indicate that biomedical, food, and plastic waste from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) and a private hospital have been dumped across multiple villages in Kodaganallur and Palavoor in Tamil Nadu. The waste includes hazardous materials such as used syringes, PPE kits, and medical records containing sensitive personal information, raising significant health, environmental, and data security concerns.

Police believe the dumping has been ongoing for months, often carried out under the cover of night. Trucks allegedly transporting materials for a nearby paper mill are suspected of being involved. Despite repeated complaints from landowners, significant action is yet to be taken.

The hazardous dumping has also contaminated local water sources, impacting livestock and causing health problems for residents. Sensitive medical records, including patient details and treatment plans, were found at the site, highlighting serious lapses in disposal practices and data security.

The District Collector has directed local officials and the TNPCB to investigate the matter and initiate legal action, including filing FIRs. However, no substantial progress has been reported.

Tamil Nadu BJP state president K. Annamalai criticized the state government’s inaction, accusing Chief Minister M.K. Stalin of failing to protect Tamil Nadu’s interests. In a post on the social media platform X, Annamalai alleged that the DMK government’s alliance with Kerala’s Communist government has turned Tamil Nadu’s border districts into dumping grounds for biomedical, plastic, and meat waste from Kerala.

He further claimed that border checkposts, instead of preventing illegal waste transportation, have become collection points for such activities. Annamalai also alleged negligence by the DMK government in addressing both waste dumping and mineral smuggling from Tamil Nadu into Kerala.

The BJP leader warned of statewide protests in January 2025 if the issue is not resolved, promising to personally lead the first truck carrying biomedical waste back to Kerala.

Resident associations in Tirunelveli have joined the call for decisive action, demanding immediate measures to curb the illegal dumping of medical waste allegedly transported from Kerala.

–IANS

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‘Exceptional case..’: Delhi HC orders revision of CLAT-2025 results

New Delhi, Dec 22 (IANS) The Delhi High Court has ordered the Consortium of National Law Universities to revise the results of the CLAT (Common Law Admission Test)-2025 examination.

“The errors in Question Nos 14 and 100 are demonstrably clear and shutting a blind eye to the same would be injustice to the petitioner albeit this court is conscious of the fact that it may impact the result of other candidates,” a bench of Justice Jyoti Singh said as it ordered the revision of merit list.

The bench also ordered that since option ‘C’ of Question 14 has been held to be the correct answer, the benefit will extend to all other candidates who have opted for option ‘C’, adding that Question No.100 will be excluded as advised by the expert committee.

Question No. 100 deserves to be excluded in light of the fact that the question setter has not even provided the correct answer as one of the options, the high court said.

The petitioner, Aditya Singh, a minor, challenged the answer key declared for CLAT-2025 for admission to five-year law courses conducted by the National Law Universities (NLUs) in the academic session 2025-26.

With a score of 87 marks, the petitioner contended that he would get admission in one of the NLUs with his present ranking, but he aspired to better his rank so as to get admission in the top 3 NLUs of the country.

The petitioner added that he is likely to achieve a higher score of 93.25, which will improve his existing rank if the alleged errors are rectified.

On the other hand, the Consortium of NLUs urged the court to not interfere in the examination process, as a robust internal check mechanism was in place and the final result had been published with all due care and deliberation and on the recommendation of two Expert Committees comprising of experts and luminaries in the field.

In its judgment, the Delhi HC said that there is no absolute proscription against a court examining a challenge to the answer key in an examination process, even if there is an expert opinion before the court.

“Most certainly, courts must exercise restraint in interfering in academic matters, including those pertaining to examination. (T)he law does not commend a total ‘hands-off’ approach and in exceptional cases where questions are found to be demonstrably wrong, the resultant injustice to a candidate must be redressed and undone,” it added.

In relation to a question, the high court opined that while attempting a comprehension passage in a language test, a candidate is not required to examine the terms or expressions used in the sentences on the touchstone of legal reasoning, applying statutory provisions or articles of Constitution of India or judicial precedents.

Partly allowing the petitioner’s plea, it ordered the Consortium of National Law Universities to award marks to him for Question No.14 in accordance with the scheme of marking and upheld the decision to exclude Question No. 100.

–IANS

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Haryana: Women of self-help groups become self-reliant, share how their incomes increased

Karnal, Dec 11 (IANS) The women from self-help groups who had set up their stalls in the exhibition organised at ICAR-IIWBR in Karnal, Haryana, shared how they have become self-reliant and how their earnings have increased.

Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday laid the foundation stone of the Natural Agriculture Laboratory at the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR) under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), in Karnal, Haryana.

Women from various districts of Haryana who came to participate in the exhibition are doing their own work with the support of the government and getting increased income. These women have now become ‘Lakhpati Didi’ as their annual incomes have exceeded Rs 1 lakh. By doing different jobs, they gained confidence and now they manage their living on their own. Along with this, they also take care of their family.

These women run different groups in their villages. Some women are making bags, some are doing sewing work. Some women are making pickles, jams, and chutney without chemicals and are earning money by selling them through different mediums.

There are some women who make earthen pots and earn money by selling them. The work started by the women through self-help groups has reached new heights today. Along with increasing their income, they are becoming ‘Lakhpati Didi’.

‘Lakhpati Didi’ Balbiro said, “We are associated with a group. We do the work of making and stitching bags. 400 women are associated with our group. Our group is in Ambala district. The name of our group is ‘Upkar’. Ten women from our group have come here.”

Another woman Savitri said that she works in making earthen pots. We make cups, plates and bowls. We are from the Nuh district. Our group is called ‘Chand’. We are 12 women who work in making earthen pots. We have received assistance from the government and our incomes have increased.”

Usha who is associated with the self-help group ‘Saraswati’, said, “I am from Kurukshetra district. Our group makes pickles, jams and chutneys. We make pickles without chemicals. There are 10 women in a group and we run 32 groups. Along with us, the income of the women in our group has also increased.”

–IANS

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