Polythene of all kinds will be banned in urban areas of the state from October 25 and in rural areas from November 25, the state government told Patna High Court on Monday.

Advocate-general Lalit Kishor, appearing on behalf of the state government, assured the court that the notifications would be issued shortly after making the requisite rules.

Earlier, deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi had hinted that the government was likely to ban polythene bags of thickness of below 50 microns. Following feedback from the people, however, the government has decided to ban polythene bags of all kinds.

Kishor told the court that polythene manufacturers will be given time to destroy their products to make the ban effective.

The high court division bench of Chief Justice Mukesh R. Shah and Justice Ashutosh Kumar had on September 24 asked the state government when it would issue the notification banning use of polythene bags.

Not only are plastic bags non-biodegradable and produce toxic gases on being burnt, polythene blocks sewers and drains, reduces soil fertility and poses threat to cattle.

According to a draft notification issued by the government earlier, no one in Bihar will sell, distribute or store any kind of plastic bag to keep or dispense edible or non-edible goods under jurisdiction of all municipal corporations, municipal councils and nagar panchayats. The government was earlier going to ban polythene use in the state from September 24. Principal secretary of the urban development department Chaitanya Prasad had, however, told the court it will take 60 days time to completely ban polythene.

The high court last month also directed the government to enact a law on the ban and use the media to create awareness.