In an attempt to curb single-use plastic pollution in Chandigarh, teams of the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee (CPCC) and of SDM (east) conducted a raid on Friday morning. They seized 350 kg of plastic from the Sector-26 mandi.
“During the raid, two big dealers of plastic carry bags were identified and their entire stock of 350 kg was seized on the spot. They did not only supply to mandis but also supplied to other vendors of the city. CPCC had been keeping an eye on big suppliers of plastic carry bags in mandis for the past few days and after ascertaining it, a raid was conducted,” the administration said.
Action against the violators such as fine and legal action under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 has been initiated by the concerned officials.
Intending to combat the problem of plastic pollution, The Chandigarh administration’s department of environment had imposed a complete ban on single-use plastic or Thermocol items in 2019.
“However, it has been observed that the implementation of the ban has dwindled with the passage of time and the use of single-use plastic carry bags is still in vogue. The major cause of the problem is the use and sale of plastic carry bags by hawkers and vendors in Chandigarh’s vegetable markets,” a release stated.
“To ensure the effective implementation of the ban, CPCC is regularly conducting awareness programs on various platforms to sensitise the general public and encourage them to avoid using single-use plastic items, especially plastic carry bags. People need to be motivated to at least carry a cloth or jute bag while making purchases. Also, the concerned officials will be conducting raids, imposing fines, etc. to promote the use of eco-friendly items,” it was said