Girnar Hill (img: Flickr)

In a hearing of a writ petition on Dec 20, the Gujarat High Court directed the state government and local authorities to ban the use of plastic near the two temples located in Junagadh on the Girnar hill - Ambaji temple and Dattatrey temple.

Instead of merely imposing a ban, it should be implemented, and the use of plastics should be stopped, said a HC bench reportedly consisting of chief justice (CJ) Sunita Agarwal and justice Aniruddha Mayee.

The high court also directed the state and local authorities to take note of the littering near the two temple complexes.

The court slammed the Junagadh district administration over the persistent litter problem, despite various drives and schemes conducted by the government.

Gujarat High Court on Gujarat’s image

The CJ stated that the tourists visiting Gujarat look up to the state’s image, but when they find anything lacking, they complain of their experience being substandard.

The court added that it doesn’t need excuses or findings anymore, but result-oriented work from the district collector. The high court gave an ultimatum to the authorities until Jan 4, 2024, to curb the plastic problem at the temples.

The court directed the authorities to opt for and implement eco-friendly alternatives to plastic bottles and other disposable items at the pilgrim locations.

It added that steel or glass bottles or jugs can be used, and a water kiosk can be set up as well to curb the plastic bottle menace.

In an earlier hearing of the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Amit Panchal, the court cited a comparison of cleanliness at the Sabarimala temple in Kerala and the Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu and Kashmir.

The court had previously directed the state government to impose a ban on plastic bottles at the temples in July this year.

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