New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday sought
response from the Centre on why there should not be a complete
ban on the use of plastics in the country which at present is
limited to tobacco products.
A bench of Justices GS Singhvi and AK Ganguly issued
notice to the Centre on a PIL seeking the court`s direction
to impose a complete ban on the use of plastics.
Challenging the government rules of banning use of
plastics only in gutkha, tobacco and pan masala, the NGO,
Delhi Study Group, submitted that "the Rules have been drafted
with cunningness and have been disguised only to allow the use
of plastics in some way or the other".
"The Rules shows the government`s intention is not to
protect the guaranteed fundamental right of clean environment
of a common man and further it has, no concern on the impact
of the environment caused by the plastics," advocate Pinky
Anand, appearing for the NGO, contended.
"The entire focus of the Rules is on the banning of
plastic materials for packaging of tobacco products whereas
large percentage of usage of plastics packaging is in non
tobacco products which have not been covered," she said.
"It is essential to ban the use of plastics for
packaging of all products, consumer and non consumer products
in which plastic is used and only then would there be a
possibility to have a control in reducing pollution from the
environment," she further said.
The court, after hearing her arguments, issued notice
to the government and asked it to file response by the next
date of hearing.
PTI
