MYSURU: After the recent incident of plastic waste being brought to Mysuru from neighbouring Kerala in a truck was detected, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board officials stumbled across a similar incident wherein waste rexine was transported to be used as fuel for fires in Mandya jaggery units Acting on an complaint by members of the public, assistant environment engineers Nubia and Umme Hamida and their teams stopped the truck carrying a huge quantity of waste rexine materials near the Mysuru–Bengaluru and Ring Road junction. The truck, bearing a Kerala registration number, was carrying a huge quantity of cut-and-waste pieces.The team was surprised to find that it was being taken to jaggery units where they were used as fuel. Pollution board officials claimed that as rexine catches fire easily and produces a lot of heat, they were used instead of firewood.Environment engineer BM Prakash told TOI the truck was seized and a case was filed against truck owner with Narasimharaja police station on Thursday. A case of negligence was booked against the driver as this could spread disease.As per the consignment invoice, the waste was supposed to be taken to New Delhi but actually it wasn’t done. It was being transported to Pandavapura where there are many jaggery units. There were three trucks but two trucks had passed the Mysuru border by the time information reached the engineers. Mandya pollution board officials impounded the two trucks there.Surprisingly, these trucks should have been stopped near the Karnataka border and sent back or a case be booked against them. But it didn’t happen. It means there is chink in border security which should be addressed quickly, the environmental officer said.

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