SC seeks response from Centre on complete ban on plastics

A bench of Justices G S Singhvi and A K 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.