The state government on Friday told the Bombay High Court that it has formed a special task force to find solutions to the problem of plastic waste management. The court will hear the matter on June 22. An affidavit was filed by Sanjay Sandanshiv, Secretary in the Environment Department, which said the department had issued a letter on April 4 to all Divisional Commissioners, Municipal Commissioners, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, the Directorate for Municipal Administration, all District Collectors, all Chief Executive Officers of Zilla Parishads and all Municipal Councils to inform them of the directions of the Bombay High Court on April 13 and to comply with the order. In April, the Bombay High Court refused to stay the state government’s decision to ban plastic. The court, prima facie, had held that the prospects of the government’s notification on the plastic ban were “reasonable”. The court also passed an order preventing the prosecution of consumers for three months. Granting interim relief to manufactures of plastic items, the court asked them to make a representation before the state government within a week. The affidavit filed by Sandanshiv, says, “The flying squad of Maharashtra Pollution Control Board has found four vehicles (trucks) carrying banned plastic items from Diu Daman entering the state of Maharashtra. During enquiry it was revealed that approx 16.7 tonnes of banned plastic bags/ products amounting Rs 23, 28,615 were being transported from the manufacturer at Diu Daman area to the retailers of Maharashtra.” The affidavit further said, “The government has formed a task force comprising different plastic manufacturing associations, experts from different institutions and government officials concerned to find out solutions and to prepare an action plan for plastic waste management to end the life cycle of plastic.” “The petitioner associations have not come up with any foolproof buyback mechanism for recycling of plastic waste,” the affidavit said. On March 23, the state government had issued the Maharashtra Plastic and Thermocol Products (Manufacture, Usage, Sale, Transport, Handling and Storage) notification, banning manufacturing, use, storage, distribution, wholesale or retail sale, import and transportation of all kinds of plastic bags (with or without handle), and single-use disposable items made of plastic.
