Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 13: In order to strictly enforce State High Court order regarding ban on polythene bags, Jammu district administration today raided the premises of main supplier of such bags in two different parts of the city and seized 2500 kilograms of bags. Moreover, the administration sealed one of the premises of the supplier.
Official sources said that the Jammu district administration few days back received information that one Pawan Kumar Shastri is ‘illegally’ running factory of polythene bags and selling the same in different parts of Jammu in blatant violation of the High Court order passed in Public Interest Litigation titled Syed Tahir Geelani Versus State of Jammu and Kashmir and Others whereby ban was imposed on polythene bags.
Today, two teams of the district administration one led by Deputy Commissioner, Simrandeep Singh and another by ADC Jammu, Piyush Singla with the assistance of officers of the Pollution Control Board and IAS Probationers currently doing training in Jammu district namely Dr Sagar Doifode and Dr Owais Ahmed raided a shop under the name and style of M/s Pawan Kumar Girdhari Lal on Gurdwara Sunder Singh Road adjoining Hotel Swastik and a factory being operated by Pawan Kumar Shastri in Peer Kho area of city.
From both these places, the administration seized over 2500 kilograms of polythene bags under provisions of Jammu and Kashmir State Non-Biodegradable Material (Management, Handling and Disposal) Act. However, Sharat Sharma, son of the owner insisted that shop may be sealed but the material should not be lifted as he would produce the valid permission for the trade within next some days, sources said.
The seized polythene bags were taken into custody by the Pollution Control Board and the administration has decided to send the case to the High Court under Contempt of Court Act, sources informed, adding the administration has also decided to tighten noose around all those who are flouting the order of the High Court and similar raids in the coming days cannot be ruled out.
“Tightening noose around those violating the High Court order is imperative as polythene bags are great hazard to the environment and health of human beings as well as animals as unlike paper and jute bags they are non-biodegradable and hence their disposal is a big problem”, sources said.
“Moreover, polythene bags are major reason for choking of nullahs and subsequent flooding during rains”, they added.
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