SRINAGAR: The Legislative Assembly’s Committee on Environment on Thursday recommended a complete ban on plastic bags in Jammu and Kashmir and called for stricter enforcement against single-use plastics, citing growing concerns over pollution, public health and environmental degradation.
Chairing a meeting of the Committee at the Assembly Secretariat, MLA M.Y. Tarigami said indiscriminate use of plastic had emerged as a major environmental challenge affecting water bodies, ecosystems and public health. The panel urged the government to issue an executive order imposing a comprehensive ban on plastic bags across the Union Territory.
The Committee asked the J&K Pollution Control Committee to intensify enforcement measures and ensure strict implementation of laws aimed at eliminating single-use plastics, particularly around tourist destinations, religious shrines and environmentally sensitive areas.
The panel also took serious note of the ongoing indefinite strike by sanitation workers engaged by Urban Local Bodies as casual labourers and daily-rated workers. It directed the Housing and Urban Development Department to immediately engage with the agitating workers and examine their genuine demands.
Seeking stronger action on waste management, the Committee called for a detailed report on the environmental impact of the Achan landfill site in Srinagar and the Bhagwati Nagar dumping site in Jammu, including progress on legacy waste remediation, scientific waste processing and compliance with National Green Tribunal directives.
The members also sought information on the impact of waste disposal on Anchar Lake and discussed pollution concerns related to the River Tawi, Surinsar-Mansar Lake and other water bodies across Jammu and Kashmir. Directions were issued for on-site inspections and submission of reports on conservation and restoration measures.
The Committee stressed coordinated action by the Pollution Control Committee, Srinagar Municipal Corporation and Jammu Municipal Corporation to make Jammu and Kashmir plastic-free and sought an Action Taken Report at its next meeting.
Legislators Prof. Gharu Ram, Dr. Baldev Raj Sharma, Showkat Hussain Ganie, Javaid Ahmad Mirchal, Salman Sagar, Javaid Riyaz (Bedar), Rameshwar Singh and Devyani Rana attended the meeting.
