A fire at a plastic waste recovery facility in Perumani near Perumbavoor has exposed alleged licensing and safety violations, after the local panchayat said the unit was operating without its licence and had failed to comply with directions to close or correct deficiencies.
The facility, identified as Green Evo Tech Waste Material Recovery Facility, was operating near Perumani Junction on the Arakkappady-Mangalthunada Road. The building is located within about 200 metres of residential homes, and smoke from the fire spread across the surrounding area, prompting health officials to advise nearby patients and elderly residents to move temporarily to safer locations, according to a report by Mathrubhumi.
Vengola panchayat president Shameeda Shareef and vice-president V.H. Mohammed said the panchayat had not issued a licence to the facility and had earlier directed that it be closed. The local body said it would initiate legal action against the warehouse owners and operators in view of the disruption caused to residents by the fire.
The panchayat received a complaint against the facility 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 directed to address deficiencies and operate in a clean manner while complying with applicable rules.
The panchayat secretary subsequently issued a letter and notice on March 17. After the directions were not followed, the panchayat committee decided that the facility should be shut. However, the company was reportedly allowed time until the 15th of the relevant month to remove the waste stored on the premises. The fire occurred while that process was pending.
The report said the facility had obtained a licence through the K-SWIFT platform, but the panchayat maintained that it had not granted a local licence. It also reported that the premises had been approved for a 5,000-square-foot building on 75 cents of land, while a structure measuring about 22,000 square feet had allegedly been built there.
The property had originally operated as a veneer unit and was later used for steel furniture manufacturing. A plastic storage centre began operating at the site in January, according to the report. The warehouse, owned by a resident of Kandanthara in Perumbavoor, was rented to a person from Thiruvananthapuram who operated the facility.
Residents had earlier complained after noticing trucks bringing hospital waste and other material to the premises. The facility was reportedly used to collect and sort plastic waste brought from other districts. The report said the unit was operating without permissions from the fire and rescue services, the Kerala State Pollution Control Board and the health department, though these claims were attributed to information available locally and were not independently confirmed in the report.
Residents also raised concerns about the possibility of foul play after the fire. Workers from other states reportedly left the premises with clothing and other belongings soon after the incident, while the owner and other responsible persons were not present. These concerns remain allegations by local residents, and the report did not establish the cause of the fire.
The facility is located near the Piriyankulam drinking-water project, which supplies water to nearly half of the panchayat area. Although the fire was brought under control, smoke continued to rise from the site, with residents calling for the waste to be completely removed and the area made safe. The panchayat has said legal proceedings against the owners and operators will follow.
