Use of plastic bags continues unabated in city despite ban

Tribune News Service

Patiala, August 5

Almost three years after the ban on the use of plastic bags was notified to all municipal corporations and councils in the state in February 2016, these bags continue to be in use in the city without any hindrance. Worse - local restaurants and dhabas continue to pack hot food items in these polythene bags, which actually cause more harm to human health.

People in the city can be seen carrying utilities and things of daily needs in plastic bags. The notification was passed by the Department of Local Government on February 18 stating: "In exercise of the powers conferred under Subsection (2) of Section 7 of the Punjab Plastic Carry Bags (Manufacture, Usage and Disposal) Control Act, 2005, and all other powers enabling him in this behalf, the Governor of Punjab is pleased to completely prohibit to manufacture, stock, distribute, recycle, sell or use of plastic carry bags in the jurisdiction of all Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats in Punjab with effect from April 1, 2016."

The notification further added: "No person shall manufacture or cause to be manufactured any carry bags of thickness not less than 30 micron".

The menace of plastic bags has been ignored by the local bodies for long. The local bodies had resorted to imposing challans on people using polythene bags for uses other than manufacturing in 2016, but the effects of the drives are yet to be seen.

Imran Khan, a resident of Sullar, said: "The administration started the drive in 2016 and imposed challans on manufacturers and users, but as expected polythene bags came back in the market."

Officials attached with the PPCB said, "There is a need to spread awareness among people. We have held programmes in villages and will continue to be more stringent. We always carry bags to the market to buy food items so that plastic bags can be avoided, similar activities should be practised."

Meanwhile, MC officials say that they are issuing challans to people using and manufacturing polythene bags.

However, small shopkeepers allege that instead of eyeing the bigger dealers in the city, the challaning drive is limited to check polythene use in fewer shops.