KOCHI: The High Court has ordered strict implementation of the plastic ban in Sabarimala. The Devaswom Board should issue a notification that pilgrims should not bring plastic covers inside or outside the Irumudikettu. Special vigilance should be maintained at Sannidhanam, Pampa, Nilakkal and Kananapatha. Notification should also be issued in the virtual queue area. Strict action should be taken against vendors if they violate the ban. The direction was from the Devaswom bench comprising Justice Anil K. Narendran and Justice S. Muralikrishna.

The Deputy Director of the Periyar Tiger Reserve West Division should take action under the Wildlife Protection Act against those who piled up and burned the garbage generated last season, including plastic. The Special Commissioner had reported that the garbage piled up near the incinerator in Sannidhanam and behind Hotel Hari Bhavan was posing a danger to wildlife. The court also considered the Forest Department report that elephants and deer that ate jaggery-covered sacks and other garbage from the garbage dump died.

Strict action should be taken if hotel and stall operators mix plastic waste with food waste and throw it in the food pit without separating it. Those who have leased shops in Sannidhanam and keep or give out plastic should be fined Rs. 2,000 for the first time and Rs. 5,000 thereafter. If the violation is found again, those shops should be closed. The proceedings should be reported to the court through the Special Commissioner.
The Devaswom Board should consider the suggestions put forward by the Development Board Environmental Engineer to improve solid waste management. A decision should be taken in consultation with the Pollution Control Board and the Deputy Director of Periyar Tiger Sanctuary.