‘Tough to implement standards for plastic toys’

After government pleader, Mandar Goswami, submitted the Centre’s statement to Bombay High Court on Thursday saying that it intended to make standards set by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) mandatory for all plastic toys, the counsel representing the Toy Manufacturers Association questioned how the government plans to implement them.

After government pleader, Mandar Goswami, submitted the Centre’s statement to Bombay High Court on Thursday saying that it intended to make standards set by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) mandatory for all plastic toys, the counsel representing the Toy Manufacturers Association questioned how the government plans to implement them.

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The association pointed out that two-thirds of toy manufacturing is done by the unorganised sector and also cited practical difficulties in implementing BIS limits because of the lack of testing infrastructure: Currently, there is only one laboratory in Delhi that can do such testing as the one in Mumbai is non-functional.

The court was hearing a PIL filed by the Consumer Welfare Association, which has sought a ban on the manufacture and import of toxic toys.

It has also appealed that norms should prescribe permissible limits of harmful elements in toys.

The PIL was filed last year after many western countries decided to ban Chinese-made toys as they contained toxic substances.