No more plastic bags in City

Five fast track courts for cases of assault on women

A blanket ban on manufacture, sale, storage and use of plastic bags will be enforced in the City.

A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet on Tuesday that was presided over by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

Dikshit said the city government felt the need to completely ban plastic carry bags after considering its adverse effects on ecology.

According to a January 2009 notification, no person is permitted to manufacture, stock, distribute or sell carry bags made of virgin or recycled or compostable plastic with less than 40-micron thickness.

Dikshit said a new notification will be issued that will supersede the earlier one and there will a complete ban on all kind of plastic bags in the city.

According to the new notification, no person including shopkeeper, vendor, wholesaler or retailer, trader or hawker can use any kind of plastic bags.

It also states that no person can manufacture, import, store, sell or transport any kind of plastic bags in Delhi and no person shall use any kind of plastic cover, sheet, film, tube to pack or cover any book including magazine, an invitation card or greeting card.

Officers will be authorised to implement the notification in their respective jurisdictions while member secretary of Delhi Pollution Control Committee shall ensure overall monitoring and implementation.

The Cabinet also decided to set up five special courts/fast track courts to deal with cases of sexual assault in the city.

Besides, the Cabinet cleared 40 posts for the upcoming five special courts/fast track courts to deal with cases of sexual assault on women in Delhi, the chief minister said.
It may be recalled that the Delhi High Court was requested to set up such courts to conduct trial on daily basis.

The court responded that at present additional session judges are dealing with the cases of sexual assault on women in each police district and in case the government wants the cases to be dealt with and tried by special courts/fast track courts, the City government may proceed in this direction.