Mysuru : The menace of garbage brought from Kerala being dumped here seems to be on the rise. This has had a disastrous effect on the health of people on the outskirts of the city and its neighbouring villages, as bio-medical waste is being dumped there.

Early Tuesday morning, two trucks with bio-medical waste from Kerala were seized and two persons were arrested by the police at Adakanahalli industrial area in Nanjangud taluk.

The arrested have been identified as Afzal, 27, and Syed Mohammed, 40. It is found that the suspects transported the loads of bio-medical waste from Kozhikode. Eight to 10 similar loads of trash were dumped in the area on past occasions also.

The local residents who found that there was something suspicious about the trucks, followed the trucks since night. When they found that it emitted pungent and toxic smell, the residents alerted the police. When the accused were dumping the waste, the police arrived at the spot and apprehended them.

The Mysuru City Corporation officials had seized a truck from which waste brought from Kerala was being dumped in July last year. Similar incidents have been reported in Gundlupet, Chamarajanagar district, and action was initiated against the suspects.

In Mandya also, it was found that rubber waste from Kerala was supplied as fuel to jaggery manufacturing units, causing excessive pollution. The officials took steps to educate owners of jaggery units and also to check the entry of rubber waste from Kerala.