Patiala Deputy Commissioner orders crackdown on single-use plastic

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Dr Himanshu Agarwal has directed all departments to intensify cleanliness and beautification efforts across the city and ordered strict action against violators using single-use plastic.

Presiding over a meeting of officials of the Municipal Corporation and the civil administration, the DC said maintaining cleanliness and making Patiala pollution-free was administration’s top priority. He asked them to ensure immediate removal of waste lying along roadsides, public places and intersections besides clearing old garbage dumps in a time-bound manner.

Dr Agarwal stressed upon the need to regularly monitor solid waste management works and complete projects related to environmental conservation and beautification on priority.

Sanitation workers of the MC are on strike for the past two weeks, which has left the city in a mess. One could see heaps of garbage lying here and there, particularly, along roadsides.

Expressing concern over increasing air and noise pollution, the DC directed the traffic police and other departments to tighten monitoring of heavy vehicles entering the city beyond the permitted timings. He also ordered installation of awareness flex boards at key locations to sensitise residents about traffic rules and environmental protection.

The DC warned wholesalers, suppliers and sellers dealing in single-use plastic of strict legal action if they sell banned items in the market.

He emphasised that public participation, along with administrative efforts, was essential to make Patiala clean and environmentally sustainable.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (Urban Development) Navreet Kaur Sekhon, Punjab Pollution Control Board Executive Engineer Navtesh Singla and officials from the Municipal Corporation, traffic police and the Public Works Department attended the meeting.