Giving some respite for businessmen and people of the State, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has held in abeyance till September 3, the notification dated June 26 of the State Government banning 25 food items like chips, kurkure, biscuits in plastic and non-biodegradable packaging from sales and stocking with effect from Monday.
A Division Bench comprising Justice D.D. Sud and Justice Sanjay Karol passed the orders on the petitions of Sanyukt Vyapar Mandal Khalini, Indian Biscuits Manufacturers Asso-ciation, NOIDA and Haroli Block Industries Associations, Tahliwal Una.
The court in its orders of January 10, this year had directed the State Government to ban the items in plastic packaging with effect from April 1 but had extended the time limit to implement the orders for three months on the request of the State Government citing far reaching consequences and multiple stake holders.
The Government had said that additional time was required to evaluate the possible consequences that may arise as a result of ban on sale of identified food items and the aspects with respect to relocation of workers, the status of loans obtained by local units, machinery and infrastructure.
The State Government had submitted that the immediate impact of ban will be on around 6000 workers directly employed in 270 local units manufacturing products. The time limit granted by the court had expired on June 30 and the Government had gone ahead with banning the 25 food items in plastic packaging with effect from July 1.
Court had though exempted milk and vegetable oil from the blanket ban of plastic or non-biodegradable packaged goods. Court had in its earlier order said that these goods should be brought into Himachal in bio-degradable packaging including the soft drinks which should be brought in glass bottles or other bio-degradable packaging.