A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court has directed the State government to strictly implement its circular which contained various instructions for enforcing the ban on the manufacture, sale and use of single-use plastic items in the State.
The directive came on a public interest litigation in this regard. The petitioner alleged that the government had failed to take action against the manufacturers of plastic cups and bags who were doing business without obtaining registration under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
The State government submitted that through a circular it had issued various instructions to stop the use of single-use plastic items. The instructions included measures to identify manufacturers and suppliers of banned items and inspections at regular intervals by the Kerala Pollution Control Board and the enforcement squads to identify violations in major commercial establishments such as malls, marketplaces and shopping centres; cinemas; tourist locations; schools; and colleges. The government also submitted that awareness programmes were being organised for retailers and vendors. A mobile app would be developed for reporting violations of the ban orders.
The court directed the government to develop the app in three months. It observed that there was an existing statutory framework, but there were large-scale violations. Strict vigilance was, therefore, necessary, and the enforcement squad, now set up with the aid of the Local Self-government department could monitor the issue raised by the petitioner.
Published – March 16, 2025 06:35 pm IST