HC notice to TN govt on PIL seeking total ban on plastics

The Madras High Court today ordered notice to the Tamil Nadu government on a PIL seeking total ban on use of plastics in the state.
Justices Nooti Rama Mohana Rao and S S Sundar ordered notice to the chief secretary, principal secretary of health, secretaries of environment and forests and municipal administration and water supply, seeking their response within eight weeks.
Petitioner K K Ramesh saidplastic is now omnipresent and endangered the lives ofanimals and human beings. From fruits to clothes, everything was packed in it. Plastic items choked drainage systems, causing malaria, dengue and filarial diseases.
He contended that consuming hot food items packed in plastic would lead to various ailments, including kidney diseases and cancer.

He referred to a case filed in the Supreme Court seeking a nationwide ban on use of plastic.
The petitioner said many countries have committed themselves to reduce use of plastic bags by either imposing a ban or a tax on plastics.
Referring to the ban on plastic bags of certain thickness in Tamil Nadu, he said government officials had conducted raids on shops and tea stalls and removed plastic bags. But they had not yielded any result.
"Later the officialsallowed traders to use various kinds of plastics, for obvious reasons," he said.