The blaze at the waste management plant owned by the Munnar grama panchayat at Nallathanni in Kallar Estate on Wednesday evening destroyed costly waste-processing equipment, including a baling machine, hydraulic machinery, conveyor belts and segregated plastic waste.

Fire and Rescue teams from Munnar, Adimali, Rajakkad and Kattappana, along with local residents, brought the fire under control by early Thursday morning. Devikulam Sub Collector V M Arya visited the site and held discussions with senior officials. A team led by District Joint Director T G Ajesh conducted a detailed inspection, while another 10-member team headed by Principal Directorate Joint Director G Harikrishnan also examined the site.

An investigation has been launched by the Munnar police. Residents and local body leaders alleged that the repeated fire incidents at the Nallathanni plant are suspicious. A similar fire had occurred three months ago, causing extensive damage.

Families living about half a kilometre downhill in the Kallar area had earlier staged protests against the plant, citing polluted runoff water, foul smell and heavy smoke during fires that affect their daily lives.

CCTV footage from the plant is being examined. Two watchmen are deployed at the facility from 6 pm to 6 am, and around 85 workers are engaged in waste segregation and processing. However, no staff were present at the time of the incident due to the Vishu holiday.

The fire was first noticed by an autorickshaw driver passing by, who alerted the watchmen. The watchmen then informed the panchayat authorities.

Munnar panchayat president Vijaya Kumar said a detailed inspection and investigation will be carried out, and an emergency committee meeting has been convened on Friday to discuss the issue.

Opposition leaders V P Shivakumar and Santhosh Pandian alleged that the fire was deliberately set to cover up irregularities at the plant. Sub Collector Arya said urgent steps will be taken to resume waste processing. Although tender procedures for a waste management project had been completed, implementation was delayed due to the model code of conduct. Necessary action will be taken to restart the project at the earliest, she said.