The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court has asked the Nagpur Municipal Corporation to consider imposing a fine of Rs 50,000 fine on the use of nylon Manja by the citizens. The Court had asked the Maharashtra government to submit documentation establishing the prohibition on the manufacture and sale of nylon Manja.
The government issued a statement on February 4, 2021, in response to a petition filed by the Riddi Siddhi Patang Vyapari Association. In turn, Manisha Patankar-Mhaiskar, the principal secretary of the department in charge of addressing climate change at the time, stated in an affidavit submitted to the HC that the government had prohibited the sale and purchase of nylon Manja in the state in accordance with orders issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in January 2020.
The bench advised NMC to request citizens to voluntarily give up the use of nylon Manja at their homes under an amnesty scheme. But if they don’t follow the directives then levy a fine of Rs50,000 on nylon Manja users. Online sales of the Nylon Manja should also be prohibited.