Assam govt mulls polythene ban in Guwahati as its top priority

Concerned about the hazardous impact of polythene on environment, Assam government today said it is considering banning polythene in Guwahati as its top priority.

Replying during a discussion in the Zero Hour in Assam Assembly, Guwahati Development Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the government is "concerned about the environmental impact of polythene."

"For any reason, if we cannot ban polythene, then we will try to levy an environmental tax on it. But our first priority is to ban it," Sarma said.

"We had banned polythene around six years ago, but we could not sustain it in the High Court and it was stayed.

After that, some other states like Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have also banned it and have been able to sustain it in the High Court," the minister said.

"The Assam government has asked officials to bring the documents from these two states to prepare a prohibitory order again for polythene in Guwahati so that this time the decision can withstand the judiciary," he informed.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)