New Delhi, February 11
The Supreme Court (SC) extended the deadline for implementing the ban on the sale of 25 food articles packed in polythene sheets in the state by six weeks.
A Bench comprising Justices RM Lodha and SK Singh passed the order yesterday on the petitions filed by the Himachal Pradesh Vyapar Mandal and three others challenging the December 26, 2013, order of the HP High Court.
The Bench granted a four-week time to the state government, the Food Safety and Standard Authority and the state Pollution Control Board to come out with their response. The Bench asked the petitioners to file their replies within two weeks thereafter. The next hearing would be after six weeks and until then the interim order passed on January 20 “shall remain operative.”
On January 20, the court had advised the petitioners to sit together and come out with alternative suggestions taking into account the need to protect the environment and the interests of the business community and the consumers.
The High Court had directed the state government to enforce its June 26, 2013, notification banning the sale of polythene-packed food items such as potato chips, cookies, candies, chewing gum, ice cream, chocolates and noodles. The court had exempted drinking water, milk and vegetable oils from the purview of the ban which was to come into effect on January 26.
The petitioners had challenged the HC order, contending that disposal of plastic waste was a national problem and not restricted to Himachal alone warranting such a ban only in the hilly state. Some of the food items could be packed only in non-porous material like polythene sheets to preserve quality, they pleaded.
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