HC asks govt if any study was done before ban of plastic?

The Delhi government was on Thursday asked by the High Court to explain if any study was done before banning manufacture and use of plastic bags in the city.

A Bench of Chief Justice D Murugesan and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw asked the government counsel to appraise it by the next date of hearing on December 11 as to how the
authorities can impose a total ban on manufacture of plastic bags.

“Unless you say the plastic manufacturing industry is hazardous, how can you ban the manufacturing of plastic bags?” it said.

“What is the study you have done before imposing the ban?” the court said. The bench also said, “Can you impose a total ban? What would be the effect on manufacturing industry if you ban it?”

The court added that “unless licences of these manufacturers are cancelled, how can they be banned to manufacture plastic carry bags?”

To this, the government counsel told the court that if they (plastic manufacturers) do not have market here, how can they manufacture the plastic bags in the city and their licence with regard to manufacture of plastic bags have been cancelled.

The court said when plastic plates, bottles and spoons are allowed, why only carry bags are banned.

“What study have you made? Plastic is plastic weather it is bags or bottles or spoons or plates,” the court also said.

The bench was hearing a plea filed by All India Plastic Industries Association challenging the state government notification of October 23 that imposed a blanket ban on
plastic bag from November 23 under which no person could manufacture, import, store, sell or transport it in the city.