PAll the Districts Magistrates of the State have been directed by the High Court of Uttarakhand to conduct special checking campaign to implement the complete ban on polythene in the State.
The High court also expressed dissatisfaction at its earlier orders regarding the state-wide ban not being observed effectively. Taking cognisance of media reports, the division bench of acting chief justice Rajiv Sharma and justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari directed the District Magistrates to also ensure public awareness campaigns on the polythene ban to make the people aware of the ill-effects of the sale and use of polythene.
The division bench observed that polythene waste was exerting a detrimental effect on the State’s environment. Even stray animals are detrimentally affected when they end up ingesting polythene.
The next date for the hearing in the case has been set on September 14. It will be recalled that after the High Court’s earlier orders, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat had stated that the state-wide ban on polythene would be strictly enforced from August 1. However, despite some efforts in various parts of the state, the banned items have remained in popular use in various parts of the State.