By Oct 2, Karnal to dump single-use plastic

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, September 18

Days after the launch of the single-use plastic free city campaign by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, the authorities of the Karnal Municipal Corporation (KMC) have set a deadline of October 2 to achieve this target.

Apart from spreading awareness among the residents and shopkeepers, the KMC authorities are providing eco-friendly micro-plastic bags as well as cloth and jute bags at subsidised rates to the residents and shopkeepers. Besides, the KMC will distribute one lakh cloth and jute bags to the residents in the coming two weeks at subsidised rate.

After the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to eliminate single-use plastic, the CM started the campaign on September 13. He visited Sector 13 market and appealed to the residents to say no to single-use plastic to save the environment.

On the same day, two councillors declared their wards 10 and 8 as free from single-use plastic in the presence of the CM. However, the KMC is yet to verify their claims.

“After the launch of the campaign by the CM, we have set a deadline of October 2 to make the city free of single-use plastic. We, along with Mayor Renu Bala Gupta and councillors, are visiting wards to educate the people about the ill-effects of plastic bags. We are promoting cloth and jute bags along with eco-friendly plastic bags in the city,” said Nishant Kumar Yadav, Commissioner, KMC.

The authorities have taken the help of various companies to provide funds for distributing cloth bags on subsidised rates. “Under corporate social responsibility (CSR), various companies are providing funds to KMC for distributing cloth and jute bags to the residents at subsidised rates. Besides, six companies are providing subsidised eco-friendly poly-bags to the shopkeepers,” Commissioner Yadav added.

Besides, we have issued strict instructions to the secretary, market committee, to ensure no prohibited plastic bags are used in the vegetable market. Otherwise, strict action would be taken against the officials of the market committee, he said.

Mayor Renu Bala Gupta said that without the co-operation of the residents, they cannot achieve their goal. So, the people should contribute towards making the city free from single-use plastic. She said that they would continue their efforts to educate the people.

The KMC authorities have so far seized around 25 tonnes of prohibited plastic bags in the city and imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh, the Commissioner said, adding that they have already conducted a meeting with traders, exhorting them to cooperate with the initiative of the CM. “The traders have assured us of full cooperation and we are hopeful we will achieve the target of making the city free from single-use plastic on the birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation,” he said.