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Haryana bans polythene bags

CHANDIGARH: The Haryana Government on Wednesday decided to ban manufacture of plastic carry bags having thickness of less than 30 microns and size less than 8x12 inches and also imposed a complete ban on use of all types of plastic articles within the municipal limits of Thanesar and Kurukshera towns, all wildlife sanctuaries and national parks and Gram Panchayat, Morni.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda told media persons after chairing a meeting of his Cabinet that the ban had been imposed because of the detrimental effect of polythene bags on environment and local ecology.

The Cabinet also approved a new tourism policy aimed at promoting tourism as a major engine of economic growth and acknowledging the role of the private sector in development of tourism with the Government working as proactive facilitator and catalyst.

Mr. Hooda said the new policy was geared towards broadening and diversifying the concept of tourism especially in the context that the Indian tourism scenario witnessed a growth of 75 per cent in the foreign tourist arrivals during the past five years.

The foreign exchange earnings from tourism had touched a phenomenal growth of Rs.21,603 crores in 2004 which shot up to Rs.29,603 crores in 2006. It also aimed at enhancing the infrastructure, especially in the National Capital Region, improving professional excellence in training human resources, developing sustained and effective marketing strategy and using technology.

A two-fold institutional mechanism, which would include a Tourism Development Council headed by the Chief Minister and a Land Bank, would be put in place, he added.

A task force headed by the Tourism Minister would also be constituted. Emphasis would also be laid on eco-tourism, farm tourism, adventure tourism, heritage tourism and medical tourism. The Cabinet also decided to take the post of Class-I (Group A) of District Attorney in Prosecution Department out of the purview of the Haryana Public Service Commission as it was observed that the process of selection through the Commission took a very long time.

It also decided to frame the Haryana Lokayukta (Functions, Powers, Inquiry and Investigation) Rules, 2008.

The Cabinet also approved the creation of a Municipal Corporation for Gurgaon. Mr. Hooda said Gurgaon was rapidly becoming a world class city and developing very fast. It had also emerged as a major developing industrial hub. The population in the existing municipal council was 2.02 lakh as per Census 2001, but the urban agglomeration was more than 13.50 lakhs.

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