By Kavita Mistry 
The Madras High Court banned 28 types of plastic items, including PET bottles, across the Western Ghats. This includes popular hill stations like the Nilgiris and Kodaikanal.
A division bench of Justices N Sathish Kumar and D Bharatha Chackravarthy issued further interim orders recently while hearing a batch of petitions filed by G Subramania Koushik and others.
The court directed the Tamil Nadu government to notify a new condition under the Motor Vehicles Act: vehicles transporting or distributing any of the banned plastic items in the Western Ghats must be detained. The government has also been asked to take further action against violators.
The court also directed shop owners and distributors of food consumables to transition to biodegradable packaging from plastic foil wraps or similar materials.
The list of banned products includes single-use plastic bottles for water and juices, plastic sheets and cling films used for food wrapping, plastic sheets used on dining tables, plastic plates, plastic-coated paper plates and cups, plastic tea cups, tumblers, and thermocol cups, The Hindu reported.
Wrapping and packaging films used around sweet boxes, invitation cards, and cigarette packets, along with plastic or PVC banners under 100 microns in thickness, plastic stirrers, and trays have also been included in the list of banned items.