The fire at a plastic waste recovery facility in Perumani near Perumbavoor has exposed alleged failures in local licensing, building compliance and waste-management oversight, with the facility operating without a licence from the Vengola grama panchayat, according to panchayat authorities.
The Green Evo Tech Waste Material Recovery Facility caught fire after the panchayat had directed that it be closed for failing to comply with instructions issued following an inspection. Vengola panchayat president Shameeda Shareef and vice-president V.H. Mohammed said the panchayat had not issued a licence to the facility and had already instructed its operators to shut it down.
The panchayat received a complaint against the establishment on February 17. A team comprising the panchayat secretary, president, vice-president, standing committee chairpersons and health department officials inspected the premises on February 23. The facility was instructed to rectify deficiencies and operate in a clean manner while complying with applicable rules.
After the directions were not followed, the panchayat committee decided to issue a closure notice on March 17. The facility was subsequently given time until the 15th to remove the waste, according to the report. The panchayat has now said legal action will be taken against the warehouse owners and operators in view of the difficulties caused to residents by the fire.
The facility is located beside the Arayakkapady-Mangalamthunada Road, before Perumani Junction, with houses within about 200 metres. Smoke spread across the surrounding area after the fire, prompting health department officials who reached the site to advise nearby patients and elderly residents to temporarily move away. Although the fire was brought under control, smoke continued to rise, causing concern about its effects in the following days.
Residents have demanded that the waste be completely removed from the site after the fire is extinguished. The facility is also situated near the Piriyankulam drinking-water project, which supplies water to nearly half of the panchayat area. The proximity of the burning waste to the water infrastructure has added to local concerns, although the supplied report does not establish that the water supply has been contaminated.
The report states that the building was originally approved for a 5,000-square-foot structure on 75 cents of land, but that a building of about 22,000 square feet was allegedly constructed at the site. The premises began years ago as a veneer unit and later became a steel furniture manufacturing unit. A plastic storage centre was started there in January.
The warehouse, owned by a Perumbavoor-area resident, was rented by a person from Thiruvananthapuram to operate the facility. Residents had earlier complained to the panchayat after noticing trucks bringing plastic waste, including hospital waste, to the premises. The facility was reportedly used to collect and sort plastic waste brought from other districts.
According to the report, the establishment was operating without permissions from the fire and rescue services, the Kerala State Pollution Control Board and the health department. The panchayat said it would initiate legal proceedings. Residents have also raised suspicions about the circumstances of the fire, while the report records that inter-state workers left the facility with clothes and other belongings soon after the blaze began and that the owner or other responsible persons were not present at the site.
