Trichy: TVK’s Thiruverumbur MLA Navalpattu Viji’s proposal to shift waste from Trichy’s Ariyamangalam dump yard to abandoned stone quarries in the neighbouring Thuvakudi town has put himself in a tight spot with environmentalists and locals criticising the idea. A Trichy corporation official said the proposal, if implemented, may attract reprimands from the National Green Tribunal (NGT).The Ariyamangalam dump yard located on Trichy-Thanjavur NH and spread over 47.7 acres has been dumped with legacy waste for about 60 years. While biomining projects phase I and II have retrieved around 38 acres of the dump yard, phase III is progressing to process about 6.1 lakh MT of waste, mostly accumulated under the surface.As reclaiming the Ariyamangalam dump yard was one of the key demands of locals in the recent assembly election, the MLA on Tuesday inspected the site and suggested removing and dumping the legacy waste from Ariyamangalam to abandoned stone quarries in Thuvakudi.Environmentalists criticised the proposal for dumping the untreated waste instead of using such abandoned quarries to store rainwater. “Leachate, a harmful liquid from solid waste, will contaminate groundwater aquifers. Instead of forming an expert committee to find sustainable solutions, shifting the dump yard will only keep the basic problem alive,” said Prabhakaran Veerarasu, an engineer with Poovulagin Nanbargal, a socio-environmental NGO.The urban local body is also wary of the proposal as Tirupur corporation was fined Rs 3 crore by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) last year for dumping municipal solid waste in an abandoned quarry. “Biomining is sufficient to retrieve the Ariyamangalam dump yard and repurpose it for better use. Dumping waste in the abandoned quarry will attract adverse consequences from state to national-level environmental watchdogs,” an official source said.“The abandoned quarries can be dumped with legacy waste as most of waste had decomposed. I will not give up on the proposal due to criticisms. As the abandoned quarries are in an industrialized area, residential areas will not be affected,” the MLA told TOI. He also expressed doubts over the biomining process in reclaiming the dump yard.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Bakrid wishes, messages and eid 2026