Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Mar 20: High Court has directed all the Deputy Commissioners of the State to file an undertaking specifying the deadline for making their respective districts polythene/polythene carry bags free before April 20, 2014. Moreover, in a major embarrassment for the Government, the High Court has issued show cause notice to 13 Deputy Commissioners under Contempt of Courts Act.
The Srinagar Wing of the High Court, in a Public Interest Litigation titled Syed Tahir Geelani Versus State of J&K and Others had on November 4, 2013 directed the all the Deputy Commissioners to file status report about the steps being taken to ensure ban on use of polythene and polythene carry bags in their respective districts.
However, Deputy Commissioners of only nine districts—Reasi, Doda, Kathua, Kishtwar, Udhampur, Poonch, Ramban, Pulwama and Kulgam filed their status reports while as Deputy Commissioners of rest of the districts preferred to ignore the directives of the High Court.
Recently, the High Court, while hearing the PIL, found status reports of eight Deputy Commissioners as completely vague and observed that the Deputy Commissioners, who were expected to intensify the campaign for making their respective districts free from polythene/polythene carry bags, had shown scant regard to the directives.
“In all the reports general remarks with regard to intensifying the efforts and seizing of some polythene/polythene carry bags have been made. However, nothing concrete has been mentioned in any of the reports as to how they have proceeded to achieve the target”, the High Court observed while underlining that only Deputy Commissioner Reasi has made available details in this regard.
Taking serious note of the non-compliance of the directions, the High Court has issued notice to Deputy Commissioners of Baramulla, Kupwara, Shopian, Srinagar, Anantnag, Ganderbal, Jammu, Budgam, Leh, Kargil, Bandipora, Samba and Rajouri to show cause as to why proceedings under the Contempt of Courts Act be not initiated against them on account of non-compliance of the directions.
The High Court has also directed all the Deputy Commissioners to file an undertaking that each one of them would be able to achieve the target of polythene free district by specifying the deadline as they are duty bound to ensure polythene free districts.
Taking serious note of the non-compliance of the directives and adverse remarks of the High Court, the Housing and Urban Development Department has also directed Deputy Commissioners of all the 22 districts to submit Action Taken Report in respect of the High Court directions to the department by April 12, 2014 positively so that the detailed compliance report is prepared and filed before April 20, 2014 in order to avoid further embarrassment for the Government during the next date of hearing, which is April 28, 2014.
Meanwhile, use of polythene flags by different political parties during ongoing election campaign is unabated in different parts of the State in contravention to the directives of the High Court as well as guidelines of the Election Commission of India.
The Election Commission of India guidelines clearly state that no polythene litter on the roads and grounds during the election campaigns and it shall be responsibility of the organizers to dispose of polythene made election material. However, political parties continue to use and litter polythene made election campaign material at their sweet will.
During the election rallies held in different parts of the State ever since the announcement of polls polythene flags were seen used and littered by the workers of the political parties.
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