City traders, vendors continue to flout ban on single-use plastic

Tribune News Service

Patiala, February 5

Despite repeated warnings, shopkeepers, hotel owners and vendors continue to use the banned single-use plastics in Patiala.

While the Municipal Corporation has been acting against shopkeepers for use and sale of the banned plastic products, including carry bags, polythene bags, plastic pipes and others, it is yet to curb manufacturing, stocking, distribution and import these products.

A senior official said that the MC has been acting against sale and use of plastics like polythene bags and plastic bottles and regular challans are being issued.

“We are carrying out regular drives and issuing challans to those violating the orders,” the official said.

The situation around the rampant sale and use of these products prevails even though the Punjab Pollution Control Board had issued necessary directions under the provisions of the Environment Protection Act to the Department of Local Government, Rural Development and Panchayats, Deputy Commissioners, regional offices of the PPCB and others last year.

It had sent communications to the Police Department to curb cross border movement of banned single-use plastics.

It had also held programmes at various government schools, programmes by Urban Local Bodies in association with industries and various district and state-level campaigns regarding the banned products.