Kerala to monitor interstate waste movement via GPS

14 May 2024 CW Team

The state of Kerala is facing strict scrutiny from both the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) regarding the disposal of biomedical and non-biodegradable waste in neighbouring villages of Tamil Nadu. Authorities are now planning to crack down on the illegal transportation of solid waste across state borders.

It was announced that GPS tracking will be implemented on all vehicles used for transporting waste between states to apprehend those engaged in illegal activities. Sarada Muraleedharan, the additional chief secretary of the local self-government department (LSGD), informed TNIE that GPS devices will be installed in all waste-carrying vehicles from Kerala within a month.

Currently, Kerala heavily relies on cement factories in Tamil Nadu to dispose of large amounts of rejected and non-biodegradable waste generated within its borders.

The NGT initiated legal action against the unlawful dumping of waste from Kerala near Anaimalai in Tamil Nadu, tasking the CPCB with conducting investigations. Upon inspection, the CPCB discovered significant quantities of biomedical and other waste originating from Kerala dumped in Tamil Nadu.

The CPCB has requested assistance from the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) and the police to combat the illegal transportation of waste.

According to the CPCB, Kerala can only manage 30% of its total waste output. With a population exceeding Rs 30.34 million, Kerala generates approximately 3.7 million tonnes of municipal solid waste annually.

Infrastructure Transport

12 Mar 2026

Kavach 4.0 Commissioned on Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Howrah

"Kavach version four has been commissioned on 1,452 route km, covering the high density Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Howrah corridors. The rollout included laying 8,570 km of optical fibre, installation of 1,100 telecom towers, deployment of trackside equipment over 6,776 RKm and establishment of 767 station data centres. Trackside implementation has been taken up on 24,427 RKm covering Golden Quadrilateral, Golden Diagonal and High Density Network sections. The programme aims to strengthen signalling and train protection on key routes.Kavach is an indigenously developed automatic train protecti..

Railways Advance Kalyan–Murbad Line And Mumbai Capacity Expansion

"Indian Railways is advancing multiple rail infrastructure projects in Maharashtra, including the sanctioned Kalyan–Murbad new line and sizable investments under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project and the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project. The Kalyan–Murbad 28 km new line has been sanctioned at Rs 8.36 billion (bn) on a 50:50 cost-sharing basis with the Government of Maharashtra and has been declared a Special Railway Project for land acquisition; proposals covering 214 hectares are at various stages of acquisition. Budgetary outlay for projects falling fully or partly in Maharash..

Parliamentary Panel Flags Funding Gaps in Heavy Industries

"The Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Industry (Rajya Sabha) presented its 332nd report on the Demands for Grants 2026-27 of the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI). Figures converted from crore and lakh are expressed in million (mn). The Budget Estimates 2026-27 for the Ministry stand at Rs 79,399 mn against a projected requirement of Rs 94,843.2 mn, a shortfall of about 16 per cent, with revenue at Rs 79,370.8 mn and capital compressed to Rs 28.2 mn from Rs 5,020 mn.The committee flagged recurring BE-to-RE compression and declining revised estimate utilisation, and calle..