The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday issued notice to an NGO based on an allegation that it was motivated by the interests of the glass industry, and not environmental concerns, in filing a petition seeking a ban on the use of PET packaging for pharmaceuticals and other products.
A Bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar sought a response from NGO Him Jagriti Uttaranchal Welfare Society on a plea moved by the PET Container Manufacturers Association (PCMA).
The green panel granted the NGO two weeks time to file a reply. The case has been posted for hearing on November 30.
The NGO had sought the ban saying such packaging leached harmful chemicals and heavy metals into the contents. The PCMA, however, claimed that the case was a “motivated” petition filed at the behest of business rivals.
It said that the NGO’s plea was liable to be dismissed as it had intentionally suppressed the fact that its president was a consultant to the glass manufacturing industry. “The present proceedings are not bonafide. They are not based on environmental concerns, but commercial interests of the glass industry,” it had alleged.
It was alleged that the NGO’s plea was motivated by the interests of the
glass industry
