Delhi HC refuses the plastic bags makers' plea

The Delhi High Court Wednesday snubbed the plea of plastic manufacturers seeking an interim stay on the January 7 notification of Delhi government regarding ban on plastic bags from public places in the Capital.

Refusing to accept the petition of plastic bag manufactures a divisional bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and A K Pathak directed the Delhi government to consider the problems of plastic bag makers, ensuring them that efforts would be made to sort out their objections.

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The Department of Environment and Forests and Wildlife under the Delhi Degradable Plastic Bag Act 2008, on January 07, 2009 had imposed a blanket ban on the use of plastic bags below the 40-micron thickness in all shopping malls, five-star hotels, restaurants, dairies, fruits and vegetable outlets.

This decision of the Delhi government had infuriated the plastic bag makers and they rushed to court to seek out a stay on government notification arguing that the present notification was contrary to earlier ones on June 2005 and May 2006 that allowed the use of degradable plastic bags in certain places.

On August 7, 2008, the Delhi HC had directed the government to slap the ban on the sell of thin plastic bags on the recommendation of Chopra Committee report that was implemented from January 07, 2009.

The court, however, has advised the government to allow the use of 40-micron of plastic bags in the state.