The Special Bench of the Kerala High Court, while hearing suo motu proceedings initiated in the aftermath of the Brahmapuram fire, raised concerns regarding waste disposal mechanisms in trains, including premium services such as Vande Bharat Express which provide onboard catering. The Bench, comprising Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas and Justice Gopinath P., was constituted to oversee waste management across the State.
The proceedings were taken up to address the broader issue of waste management, during which the Court examined the role of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) in handling waste generated from packaged food served on trains. The Bench orally observed that IRCTC, being a bulk purchaser of packaged food items and earning significant profits, could effectively insist that manufacturers supply food in biodegradable packaging or entirely avoid plastic. The Court noted that such insistence from a purchaser of IRCTC’s scale would almost certainly compel compliance from manufacturers, thereby reducing a major waste disposal burden.
Although it was submitted that an agency has been engaged for waste collection, the Court emphasised that the Railways cannot absolve themselves of the responsibility to ensure proper and scientific disposal. The Bench expressed apprehension that when bins inside trains become full, waste may be illegally dumped into rivers and canals. It suggested installing CCTV cameras and involving the Railway Protection Force to detect and prevent such instances.
The Court further indicated that it would pass directions for inspection of the waste disposal processes followed by aggregator agencies, including scrutiny of whether scientific disposal methods are implemented. Notably, in June, the same Bench had ordered a ban on single-use plastics in hilly areas, weddings, and public events, an order which was subsequently stayed by the Top Court.
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