Kerala - Kochi   

Court panel to request for CBI probe

KOCHI: The Supreme Court Monitoring Committee (SCMC) on Hazardous Wastes will soon request the apex court to order an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the growing incidents of import of municipal solid waste and ‘illegal oil’ through the Cochin Port.

The committee will submit a detailed report highlighting the need to plug the loopholes in the import of such consignments through the port.

Sources in the SCMC said that the CBI assistance was required as it was not possible for members of the State Pollution Control Board to investigate the matter coming under the purview of a Union government institution.

A detailed report exposing the illegal route used by importers would also be submitted to the apex court. It was reliably learnt that a large number of importers from Punjab, Gujarat, Kolkata, New Delhi and Tamil Nadu were importing such consignments through the Cochin Port.

The committee would furnish details of consignments imported as rubber processing oil (RPO) through the port. There were only five such consignments in 2000 and 2001. In 2002, these went up to 16 and climbed steeply to 58 in 2003. The number went up to 77 in 2004 and 73 in 2005.

Committee sources said that all these consignments were declared ‘RPO’ as Kerala was a huge processor of rubber and the consignments would not attract attention. They said that Customs officials admitted a sharp increase in consignments during the recent times.

The committee also found that the list of importers available on the website of the Director-General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) included only those bringing in RPO. It did not include those who imported “recycled” base oil, paraffin wax, waxy residue, most of which would also be consignments of waste oil.

It was found that a few importers sold residual oil directly for lubricating purposes. Others mixed it with “recycled” base oil (also imported illegally) and sold it for a wide variety of purposes including 2-T for two-stroke engines. A few sold it for rubber processing.

The committee would suggest that an official of the State Pollution Control Board be placed permanently at the port to check import of illegal consignments.

It would also recommend steps to improve the laboratory facilities at the port. The committee found that the port did not have adequate facility to analyse illegal wastes.

It would direct the port to ensure that all consignments of paper waste, furnace oil, waste oil/ used oil, low sulphur waxy residue, non-ferrous metal scrap in any form, plastic scrap and wax in drums should be inspected prior to release.

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