Yesterday, the Bench of Justice K. Vinod Chandran and Justice C. Jayachandran of Kerala High Court initiated a suo motu case into the fire at the waste dumping yard in Brahmapuram, Kochi. The smoke originating from the site has been choking causing multiple health issues, including eye burns and breathlessness to locals. The proceedings were initiated based on the letter sent by Justice Devan Ramachandran.

Taking note of the incident, the Chief Justice of the State ordered the initiation of a suo motu writ petition in the matter. Smoke from the dump yard spread over large areas of the city and its suburbs, causing concern among residents, the writ petition said. 

Notwithstanding the efforts of multiple agencies over days, the fire was not yet fully doused. According to reports, the smoke emanating from the charred plastic heaps continued to choke Kochi for the fifth consecutive day even as authorities assured that the fire will be brought under control without delay.

"The repeated incidents of fire at the yard remains a cause of concern for local residents, and as per reports, plastic waste piled up at Kochi Corporation's solid waste treatment plant has gone up in smoke without fail every year since 2019. Despite repeated episodes, the authorities have not been able to take concrete action to check such mishaps," the suo motu writ petition states