NGT sends notices to states, UTs over plastic waste management rules, seeks replies before 30 May

New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal has sought responses of all states and union territories on a plea against the unregulated use and lack of disposal mechanism for plastic across the country. [caption id=“attachment_2600958” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AP[/caption] A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar issued notices to 29 states, seven union territories, all state pollution control boards and their secretaries and sought their replies before 30 May, the next date of hearing. The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) alleging that the states were not paying heed to the seriousness and ill effects caused by plastic. Referring to its 2013-14 annual report, the CPCB said there were a total of 689 unregistered plastic manufacturing units running in the various states and UTs including Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Manipur, Puducherry, Punjab and Telangana. Besides, as per Annual Report 2014-15, there are total 217 unregistered plastic manufacturing units running in Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana, it said. The apex pollution monitoring body has also alleged that a large number of plastic manufacturing units were running in the non-conforming areas of the Union Territory of Delhi. The CPCB, in its plea filed by advocate Balendu Shekhar, said it had issued directions under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 on 30 June 2016 to various municipal bodies but they paid no heed till date. The apex pollution monitoring body has sought directions to states and UTs to prepare a plan of action for implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules 2016 and its effective execution of such plan of action within stipulated time frame as envisaged in the law. It has sought imposition of penalty on the respondents as per “Polluter Pays Principle” for their non-cooperation and inaction which has resulted in huge loss of “health, soil, animal, crops and ground water etc apart from exemplary damages.”