CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has granted a final deadline to the Government of Tamil Nadu to fully implement the scheme for collecting empty liquor bottles across the State by May 31.
To prevent environmental damage, the empty bottle return scheme has been implemented in Tasmac liquor outlets based on the directions of the High Court.
When the case came up for hearing again before the special bench comprising Justices N Sathish Kumar and D Bharatha Chakravarthy, the State submitted that tenders had been invited for affixing QR codes on liquor bottles.
It was stated that once the process was completed and implemented, the scheme for collecting empty bottles would not impose any additional burden on employees of Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac).
The State further submitted that the scheme could not be fully implemented due to opposition from employees. It was informed that the scheme had now been implemented in 29 districts, and the government sought time until the end of May as a last opportunity to implement it in the remaining districts.
The Bench granted a final deadline until May 31 to fully implement the scheme for collecting empty bottles. The court warned that if the scheme is not implemented by then, Tasmac would be directed to pay Rs 10 as environmental compensation for every bottle sold thereafter.
The judges also noted that empty bottles were being tied in sacks in bulk during collection, leading to breakage and damage. The court directed the Tasmac administration to issue appropriate instructions for the proper handling of empty bottles. The matter was adjourned to June 5 for further hearing.