Distributing milk in plastic bags in hilly areas: Aavin ordered to find an alternative way
Tamil Nadu: The Chennai High Court has ordered the Aavin administration to find alternative ways to distribute milk in plastic bags in hilly areas, including Ooty and Kodaikanal.
A special bench of Supreme Court Justices N. Satish Kumar and D. Bharat Chakravarthy hears cases related to environment, forest, and wildlife. The case seeking the implementation of the plastic ban order in hilly areas, including Ooty and Kodaikanal, came up for hearing before this bench.
At that time, lawyers hired as NABAS to assist the Supreme Court had banned plastic drinking water bottles in hilly areas, including Ooty. Instead, drinking water is sold in Tetro packets. Furthermore, 6 million plastic bags circulate in the Nilgiris daily through Aavin milk packets.
Therefore, Aavin announced in 2013 that it would distribute milk in glass bottles and invited tenders for the same. However, the company stated that it has not yet implemented the order. The judges hearing the case later ruled that the ban on plastic drinking water bottles also applies to plastic Tetro packets.
Tetro packets are more harmful to the environment than plastic bottles. Therefore, the sale of drinking water in Tetro packets cannot be permitted. Such Tetro packets should be confiscated and shops selling them should be sealed. Furthermore, the court ordered Aavin to study alternative methods of distributing milk instead of plastic packets and submit a report, adjourning the hearing.
