Patna HC asks Bihar govt to ban plastic bags from October 25

The Patna High Court on Monday asked the Bihar government a blanket ban on plastic or polythene bags. The ban will come into effect from October 25 in urban areas and in rural areas from November 25, sources said.

Advocate General Lalit Kishore, who appeared for the state government, informed an HC bench that “there will be a complete ban on the use of plastic bags in any form from October 25 in urban areas, while it will be banned in rural areas from November 25 across the state.”

The special bench comprises Chief Justice MR Shah and Justice Ashutosh Kumar was hearing a PIL for banning the use of plastic or polythene bags across the state.

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In order to fight the menace of plastic pollution and climate change in general, advocate Kishore made it clear that all types of plastic bags, irrespective of their thickness, would be banned in the state from the mentioned dates.

Earlier, the state government had announced a ban from September 24 but differed it due to lack of preparedness, said the sources.

On June, following a media report on the pollution in a pond located on the premises of sacred Mahabodhi temple in Gaya, the court asked the state government to make a law for banning the use of plastic bags along with a provision for penalty for its violators, they said.

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According to reports, the government had in the middle of September come out with a draft notification for a blanket ban on the manufacture, sale and use of plastic after seeking objections and suggestions from people, various organisations, institutions and stakeholders.

As per the draft notification, the plastic bags are non-biodegradable, produce toxic gases on burning, cause blockage of sewers and drains and pose a threat to the life of cattle, it said.

(With inputs from agencies)