Indian Central Railway has been asked by the Bombay High Court to file a response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), which is looking for a direction to re-impose the ban on plastic bags which are available at platforms on the country’s suburban network, as well as in local and long-distance trains.
A bench – which was headed by Justice Abhay Oka – demanded from the Railway authorities to offer sufficient number of dustbins on those platforms. The PIL has been posted for an additional hearing in June 2014, after the vacations. The lawyer representing Central Railway told the Court earlier that they have invited tenders to assign the cleanliness work to a contractor who will dispose plastic bags which are found on railway tracks, trains and platforms.
The PIL has been filed by Rail Parishad – which is an NGO of commuters – and has asked a direction to Central Railway to establish the circular from May 21, 2012 and sought a ban on plastic bags by the Railway food stalls on platforms.
The PIL stated that plastic bags could not be recycled, due to which the environment becomes polluted. Even if plastic bags are burnt, the process still produces methane gas which is hazardous to health.
Photo Credits: BP
