Make laws in six months to ban polythene bags: LHC ruling

LAHORE - The Lahore High Court (LHC) has directed Punjab government to enact a legislation within six months to put an absolute ban on manufacture, sale, marketing, use and import of polythene (shopping) bag of all kind throughout the Punjab.

Justice Shabbir Raza Rizvi had banned the manufacturing and use of polythene bags on September 17 after accepting a petition filed by advocate Khurram Khan. On Thursday the court released a detailed judgment, saying after six months there will be a complete prohibition in manufacture, sale, marketing, use and stock of polythene bags.

The judge remarked that the Federal and Provincial governments had been unsuccessful in eliminating manufacture and consumption of polythene bags and thus failed to protect the ‘life’ of citizens. Therefore, he said, to enforce the fundamental rights of the citizens certain directions had been issued to the government.

The court ruled that as the Punjab government had already introduced a ban on use of black polythene bag below 15-micron thickness through the Ordinance of 2002, it would ensure strict enforcement and compliance of provisions of the Ordinance 2002. And would register criminal cases against the offenders under said law and Pakistan Penal Code until the government passes a legislation on the subject. In its eight pages judgment, the court dismissed the plea of respondents that complete ban on the polythene bags would deprive thousands of people of their jobs, saying nothing is more precious than life. “Polythene bags are killers and they must be killed.”