The Meghalaya High Court has directed the government to scrupulously implement its orders to ban the manufacture, marketing, and use of plastic in the State.
A division bench consisting of Chief Justice Indra Prassana Mukerji and Justice Wanlura Diengdoh during a hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by High Court lawyer Phuyosa Yobin seeking a complete ban of plastics perused the action taken report filed by the government.
“We are satisfied with the action taken so far by the government but we do treat this as only a beginning of the journey,” the division bench said.
The reports highlighted the awareness camps and meetings conducted with stakeholders and awareness to school students. The government said preventive measures like inspection drives, promotion of alternatives to plastic like cloth bags, jute bags and paper packaging were made. Plastic waste was collected and people persuaded to discard single use plastic. The ban on plastics items less than 120 microns was “successfully initiated” according to the report.
However, the court said, “With regard to preventive measures, where, when and in what manner inspection was carried out, what was the result of such inspection are needed.”
It also directed the government to specify in the report the details of the “plastic collection drives” like the weight or number of plastic items seized or plastic waste collected and the place from which they were collected. The action taken against the users of plastic less than 120 micron is also necessary together with detailed information about the elimination drive against single use plastic, the court added.
The court has directed the State government to file another report by May 12, 2025 before the next hearing on May 14, 2025.
