Kaduthuruthy: Authorities have stumbled upon an illegal waste collection centre that has been functioning surreptitiously on top of a hill at Kaduthuruthy in Kottayam for the last two years. The site was taken on rent by the operators ostensibly to operate a poultry farm and used to sort decaying waste items. However, it was found during an inspection carried out by the Health Department in rubber plantations as part of the preventive measures against monsoon-related diseases.

When the officials, including local body representatives, reached the spot, it was reeking of a foul smell. Rats and worms crawled in the mounds of garbage. The bad odour caused discomfort for the block panchayat president, Johnson Kottukappally. The centre was closed soon after, following the intervention of the local body authorities.

The illegal centre was located near Udayagiri in Ward 11 of the Mulakkulam panchayat. In trucks from various districts, waste was brought there and stored close to a residential area. Workers belonging to other states were employed at the centre.

Officials who reached the site in addition to the Health Department staff included block panchayat members P V Sunil and Nayana Biju, Mulakkulam panchayat president T K Vasudevan Nair and ward members Joy Naduviledam and Shiji Kurien.

“The plot belongs to a person residing in Muttuchira and was rented out to another person from Koothattukulam. The waste collection centre was functioning in the guise of a poultry farm without any approvals. We will take stern action against those involved,” said the Mulakkulam panchayat president.