PANAJI
Patanjali Foods Limited has moved the High Court of Bombay at Goa challenging the proposed implementation of the State’s Deposit Refund Scheme (DRS), and seeking a stay on its enforcement.
In a writ petition, the company has named the Goa government, the Department of Environment and Climate Change, the Goa Coastal and Environment Management Society, and the Law Department (Legal Affairs) as respondents.
The matter came up briefly for admission before the Division Bench of Justice Valmiki Menezes and Justice Amit Jamsandekar during which counsel for the petitioner pressed for a stay on the proposed implementation.
The Bench, however, did not grant any interim relief or make any observations on the merits of the plea at this stage. The Registry was however directed to issue notices to the respondents and posted the matter for further hearing in June.
The petition comes amid continuing debate over the proposed DRS, which has faced resistance from Opposition parties as well as concerns from traders, distributors and other stakeholders.
Last month, the State government had announced that the scheme’s implementation would be deferred by six months to one year following mounting objections and calls for wider consultations. The government had then said the rollout would proceed only after stakeholder discussions and public awareness campaigns.
In a parallel development, the State is also understood to be considering a sharp reduction in the refundable deposit amount on DRS-covered products after traders and distributors flagged concerns over the financial burden on consumers and the supply chain.
Under the revised proposal, the deposit on non-liquor items may be cut to Rs 1 to Rs 2 from the earlier Rs 5 to Rs 10. For liquor products, the proposed deposit is likely to range from Rs 2 to Rs 10. The agency tasked with collecting DRS-covered waste is also proposed to charge manufacturing companies between Rs 10 and Rs 12 per tonne for handling eligible products.
The DRS seeks to impose a refundable charge on non-biodegradable product packaging sold in the State. Consumers are required to pay the additional amount at the time of purchase, which is returned when the empty packaging is deposited at designated collection points. At present, the scheme covers glass bottles, aluminium cans and plastic bottles.
