The Nilgiris administration has moved to ban the sale of plastic water bottles, beverages packed in PET bottles and food items packed in plastic covers. At a review meeting held by collector J Innocent Divya with district level officials, representatives of merchants and traders’ associations, it was decided that the administration will adhere to the recent interim order of the high court that banned the entry of these plastic items into the district.
A press release issued by the Nilgiris district administration said the sale of plastic water bottles, cool drinks in PET bottles and food items packed in plastic covers will be banned at the check posts located at the entry points of the Nilgiris such as Burliar, Kunjappanai, Kakkanallah, Nadugani, Thalur, Soladi, Pattavayal, Nambiar Kunnu, and Geddhai. Shops, hotels and restaurants located on the highways from the check posts to Ooty will not sell the above mentioned items. The order will come into force from 15th August.
The release requests tourists coming to the Nilgiris not to carry the banned items. Instead they could carry recyclable bottles to carry water.
To facilitate tourists, RO water stations will be provided along the highways leading to Ooty and at tourist spots in Ooty. The system will be expanded across the district soon, adds the release.
The court, in an interim direction issued on 28th May, said: “At all the entry points into the Nilgiris, where forest check posts are available, the government of Tamil Nadu, through the district collector working in tandem with the forest department, shall provide adequate man power to check all tourist vehicles and the other vehicles entering the Nilgiris and prevent them from carrying plastic water bottles and soft drinks bottles. In case of violation, the vehicles’ owners should be imposed fines. The collector shall make arrangements to provide purified potable water to the tourists every 15km at the entry points to the Nilgiris. All shops along the entry points in the Nilgiris should be prohibited from selling water in plastic bottles as also juice in PET bottles and food items packed in plastic wrappers.”
Plastic water bottles ban on sale in Nilgiris district from Aug 15
