The Madras High Court has refused to buy the argument of Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) that it would be difficult to implement the empty liquor bottle buyback scheme across the State for reasons such as the requirement of increased manpower and lack of space for storing the collected bottles at 5,500 liquor shops.
Justices N. Sathish Kumar and D. Bharatha Chakravarthy have directed Additional Advocate-General J. Ravindran to ensure that Tasmac reconsiders the issue by September 16. They have also asked amicus curiae T. Mohan and M. Santhanaraman to come up with solutions to various problems highlighted by Tasmac in implementing the scheme.
In a report, Tasmac Managing Director L. Subramanian told the court that the scheme was first introduced in the Nilgiris district on May 15 and then in other hill stations as well as in wildlife sanctuaries on June 15 on the basis of the court orders aimed at preventing blood injuries to wild animals from the littered bottles.
