PANAJI
The Goa government has tightened regulatory controls on non-biodegradable packaging, granting inspectors broader authority to confiscate products that violate Deposit Refund Scheme norms as well as penalise manufacturers, dealers and retailers who fail to comply with mandatory norms.
The newly notified amendments, issued by the Department of Environment & Climate Change, have introduced a sharp regime of fines up to Rs 25,000, confiscation of entire product batches, and criminal liability for tampering with or omitting the mandatory Unique Serial Identifier (USI) on DRS products.
The notification, issued by Director (Environment) Sachin Desai, makes it clear that every DRS product circulating in the State must bear a valid, legible and scannable USI at every point in its commercial journey -- manufacture, import, storage, transport, distribution and sale.
Officials have now been empowered to enter premises, warehouses, shops, transport hubs or “any other place” to inspect and verify compliance.
One of the key provisions warns that any manufacturer or seller who tampers with, forges, alters or removes the USI will face penalties up to Rs 25,000, confiscation of the entire batch, and possible prosecution under other applicable laws.
In another hard-hitting clause, the notification stated that DRS products seized for lacking a proper USI may be returned only if the entity fixes valid identifiers within 15 days. Otherwise, the items may be retained for prosecution or disposed of by the authorities.
The amendments also tighten the financial accountability of manufacturers by making it mandatory to deposit the full refundable amount of every DRS product into a designated escrow or current account specified by the Scheme Administrator.
Liquor, milk packaging, small-value and low-volume products, and micro-enterprise goods have been specifically carved out of DRS applicability. The fresh notification comes into force immediately upon its publication in the Official Gazette.
