Early Times Report
Jammu, July 13: The ban imposed by High Court on usage, sale of polythene carry bags has failed to make any change in eco-fragile state, with thick polythene carry bags flooding markets of Jammu as the authorities are found in deep slumber.
Environmentalists have pinned hopes on the office of Governor to take call on the matter and pass instructions to the concerned agencies.
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court had in the first week of December 2017, imposed a blanket ban on the usage, sale of polythene carry bags, after which hoardings advertising the ban, were found in various nook and corner of the Jammu city.
Before that particular order, hoardings instructing people not to use polythene below thickness of 50 microns were also found but after the High court order in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), no effort from the executing agencies could be found.
"Polythene carry-bags with thickness above and below 50 microns could be found in every nook and corner of the Jammu province. The shopkeepers, vendors could be found freely selling items in the polythene carry bags and there is no check on the usage or sale", Rajesh Singh of Gandhi Nagar said, adding that most people didn't know if there is any ban or directions from the High Court.
The authorities especially the Pollution Control Board and local administration officials, never bother to launch any drive to penalize the violators. "The owners of the polythene carry bags making industries have close coordination with the officials of Pollution Control Board, who evade action through one way or the other", an official of PCB said, adding that large amount of money in the form of commission reached to the offices to allow the industries to produce the product as well as their sale in the state.
No mechanism has been evolved by the executing agencies, whose officials have a nexus with the manufacturing agencies, and in the previous government they had made a channel to evade any action.
"That chain of officials is yet to be touched by the Governor administration", an official said, adding that only Governor secretariat could implement the order and save the fragile environment of state from the dangerous effects of the polythene carry bags.
Pertinently, as per High Court order, all the authorized officer had been asked to seize polythene carry bags irrespective of thickness, whatever they find the product being used, traded, marketed, manufactured after 15th of January. |
