The Meghalaya High Court has given time till October 1 for the State government to reply on the steps taken to deal with plastic pollution in Meghalaya.
During the hearing held on September 12, Additional Advocate General T Yangi sought time from the division bench of Acting Chief Justice Hamarsan Singh Thangkhiew and Justice B Bhattacharjee for filing of an affidavit regarding the measures taken by the State government.
The court has fixed October 1 as the date for hearing of the matter including filing of an affidavit by the government.
It may be mentioned that in its order passed on August 16, the High Court has directed that periodical raids should be conducted in all shops and also asked the State government to impose huge fines against those who use plastics within the State.
“Strict enforcement of law alone will be helpful in the extermination of plastics from society,” the court said.
“Periodical inspection should be conducted nearby shops and if any shops are found to have stored plastic bags, a heavy fine should be imposed on them and if the practice is continued, such shops should be kept under lock and seal,” it added.
Further the High Court said that the crackdown against plastic can be started from temple premises. It also said that temple authorities must ensure that there is no usage of plastic bags in and around the worshipping places.
“CCTV cameras shall be installed in all temples, so that if anybody carries plastics inside the temple, that can be curtailed to some extent,” the court directed.
