Once celebrated for their tranquil charm, Neendoor’s popular wayside tourist spots are now struggling under the weight of unchecked waste dumping and rising antisocial activity.

Residents say the situation has worsened in recent months, with roadsides near Naalumanikkattu, Kaippuzhakattu and Kallarakattu turning into open dumping yards. Groups of drunkards, often arriving from outside the village late at night, reportedly leave behind liquor bottles and food waste in the roadside polders before driving off. The approach roads to these destinations have also become strewn with garbage.

The Mudakkali polders, in particular, present a grim picture. Piles of plastic waste have formed a small mound, while toilet waste, restaurant scraps, slaughterhouse remains and household garbage are allegedly being disposed of under the cover of darkness.

Village tourism in Neendoor primarily thrives on the beauty of its vast paddy fields. The greenery of this interminable network of polders, the uninterrupted breeze, and the bloom of water lilies are the key attractions here.

Benches have been set up on both sides of the road that cuts through the sprawling fields, offering visitors a place to unwind. Many people, even from distant locations, arrive here with their families to spend their evenings.

But with waste piling up, visitors increasingly find it difficult to stay due to the foul stench that has spread across the area. Broken liquor bottles thrown into the fields by miscreants have also put farmers and fishery workers at risk.

Locals are now demanding intensified night patrolling by the police and stringent legal action against those found guilty.