Kochi: Kerala High Court on Monday prohibited
throwing away of waste products in plastic and other
non-biodegradable materials in public places and roadsides.
The order was issued by a division bench comprising
Justice C N Ramachandran Nair and Justice P S Gopinathan on a
PIL filed by Federation of Women Lawyers.
The bench also made it clear that police should proseucte
persons who dump waste in plastic carrybags or in any
non-biodegradable material in public places and directed the
state and DGP to issue instructions to police officials to
conduct patrol in urban areas and take action against them.
The state government has been asked to inform municipal
authorities to instruct persons engaged in collection of waste
not to collect solid waste in plastic carrybags and non
bio-degradable materials and that waste should be segregated
for re-cycling.
Any person on getting information of dumping waste could
lodge a complaint before police and it can conduct
investigation and launch prosecution proceedings, the court
held.
Police and government should ensure that this order is
complied in the same manner as the judgement banning smoking
in public places was enforced.
The government should consider legislation for providing
levy of charges from public to fund municipal authorities for
waste collection, treatment and disposal, the court said.
PTI
