NGT asks Chennai authorities to strictly enforce PWM Rules

The National Green Tribunal (Southern Zone) has ordered local bodies in Chennai like the Greater Chennai Corporation, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), and Chennai Collectorate, to strictly enforce the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.

This included the Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) outlined in the 2020 guidelines, as well as subsequent guidelines issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). It requested that they take action against violators by imposing environmental compensation in addition to the penalties provided by local and other environmental laws.

They were directed to issue the necessary instructions to implement the provisions of the 2016 Rules, as well as an subsequent notifications and guidelines issued by the MoEF&CC in this regard. The TNPCB was also directed to conducted public awareness campaigns on plastics. The NGT has also directed the State government, in collaboration with the TNPCB to develop a policy of providing incentives to manufacturers/producers of products to replace plastic with eco-friendly materials for strict implementation of the SUP ban, reports The Hindu.