LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday banned the use of polythene bags at all mega stores of Gujranawala and Faisalabad.

The court directed the Environment Protection Department to ensure implementation of its orders in letter and spirit, besides seeking a report.

Justice Shahid Karim passed the order while hearing a petition, moved by Haroon Farooq, seeking a direction to the Punjab government to legislate on banning the use, manufacture and sale of polythene bags and introduce a necessary legislation in this regard.

The court had already banned the use of polythene bags at mega stores of provincial metropolis and had hinted to expand the same to other cities of the province, during previous hearings.

The petitioner had contended that polythene bags were a major source of environmental disaster.

He submitted that polythene bags badly affected the sewage system, besides causing water pollution.

He submitted that the Punjab government had already imposed a ban on the use of polythene bags below 15 microns thickness but it had not imposed a complete ban on use of polythene bags yet.

He submitted that the LHC had already directed the Punjab government to impose a complete ban on the use of polythene bags in a case earlier.

He pleaded with the court for directions to impose a complete ban on use of polythene bags.