Mathura: A court has banned the use of plastic bags in Uttar Pradesh`s temple town of Vrindavan.
A bench of the Allahabad High Court on Friday ordered the ban on use of plastic and polythene items in Vrindavan. The district magistrate of Mathura has been asked to form a committee to monitor the implementation of the ban order.
The court order was the result of a petition by Braj Life-Line Welfare Association, which highlighted the failure of the sewage treatment plants in the district.
The division bench asked the district magistrate to file a status report on the state of cleanliness and sanitation in the Mathura-Vrindavan area.
Authorities have been asked to launch an awareness campaign to discourage use of polythene and plastic bags. Vrindavan music maestro Acharya Jaimini welcomed the court initiative.
Jaimini told a news agency: "Everywhere in Vrindavan you have heaps of garbage piled up. The polythene bags are a huge nuisance choking drains and sewer, causing inconvenience to pilgrims."
"It is a welcome move. The people of Vrindavan will respond positively to ensure that the holy town presents a cleaner profile in future," he added.
Millions of pilgrims visit the holy shrines associated with Sri Krishna in Mathura district, round the year.
IANS