Kochi, May 29 -- The Kerala government on Wednesday stepped in to address the pollution caused by massive amounts of plastic pellets, also known as nurdles, that washed up on beaches in Thiruvananthapuram district after activists and environmental experts flagged its impact on marine life and habitats. The nurdles, a foundational material in the manufacture of a wide range of plastic products, were found to be washed up in large quantities on Tuesday in several coastal areas of Thiruvananthapuram, including the Kochu Veli beach in the wake of the sinking of the Liberian-flagged cargo vessel MSC ELSA 3 off the coast of Kerala earlier this week. Addressing the matter, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a statement that civil defence volu...