Delhi, India's New Plastic Bag Ban Carries Stiff Penalties

An article posted yesterday on the Environment News Service reports that India's capital city has passed new, strict regulations that make selling, storing, and manufacturing plastic bags an offense that could cost quite a bit. While a court order existed as of 2009 which theoretically banned plastic bags, the ambiguous nature of the legislation prevented action from being effectively taken. The ENS Newswire article reports:

Under court order, the Delhi government issued a similar order in 2009, but after initial enforcement drives that netted about 300 violators, the ban was ignored and plastic bags reappeared.

This new plastic bag ban will be different said Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. “There will be no leniency in implementing the blanket ban and crackdown on violators will be more aggressive this time.”

Violating Delhi’s new bag ban will be punishable with a prison term of up to seven years and/or a fine of Rs. 1 lakh (Rs. 100,000 or US$1,810). A special court has been established for handling these cases.

This strict legislation is fairly unique in nature, and cracks down relentlessly on those who disobey the new laws. To learn more about Delhi's revised bag ban, please see the full article on the ENS Newswire here.