Time has come when we have no option but to undo the momentary convenience for long lasting benefits for human beings, animals, and the environment and for saving the precious resources of the Earth. Let us do way with the habit of no option but to facing rigours of the law in the enforcement of ban on polythene. We have to co-operate with the administration, if not take a bold initiative to discourage polythene.
The State High Court on March 7, directed the Government to set up a mechanism to prevent the entry of polythene into the State so as to ensure the ban on it and its allied products very strictly. The contents of the directions have innate purpose of overruling the possibility of a short shelf life of the ban directive. The Division Bench passed the direction following the Court being informed by the Law Officer of Pollution Control Board (PCB) that so far as the manufacture of polythene and its allied products was concerned, a liability had been put on the manufacturer that in case it was found that the polythene and its allied products were being manufactured but showed inability over the control on such polythene which was imported from outside the State, the entire onus fell on him. The Court was informed that the Pollution Control Board was not in a position to forbid the main problem of the import of the polythene from outside the State. The Court, therefore, directed the Chief Secretary of the State to set up a mechanism on entry point at Lakhanpur so that the ban on the polythene was implemented in letter and spirit.
The Court felt that if the entry point was regulated, then there would be drastic decrease in pollution levels throughout the State. Therefore, the Court directed the Divisional Commissioners of both the provinces to monitor the entry, trade and sale of polythene material and indicate their progress by filing the latest status report on next date. Polythene and plastic continue to remain ubiquitous in every activity, every field, every household, lane and even water bodies and it is but natural to target its source, the point of origin or entry into our State. That precisely is what the High Court has felt and conveyed through the directives. We have to walk an extra mile to save ourselves and our progenies.
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