The Hindu 06.04.2017
350 kg of banned plastic bags seized
Officers carrying out raids on use and sale of banned plastic bags in Kollam on Wednesday.
Ten squads of Corporation, Suchitwa Mission
More than 350 kg of plastic bags of thickness less than 50 microns,
which have been banned since April 1 in the district, were seized during
raids carried out in the city on Wednesday.
The raids were part
of the drive against the sale and use of banned plastic bags. Ten squads
comprising officers from the Kollam City Corporation and the Suchitwa
Mission conducted the raids with the help of the police.
District
Suchitwa Mission coordinator G. Krishnakumar said that squads went to
textile shops, malls, fish markets, fruit stalls, and vegetable shops
and even roadside vendors. The bulk of the bags seized were those in the
banned category. Seizures were also made from shops that had not
registered with the City corporation to sell and distribute such plastic
bags.
Registration
Prior
to the ban, the district administration had informed that shop owners
who wanted to sell plastic bags not covered by the ban should register
with local body concerned by paying a fee of Rs. 4,000 a month.
The
fee is as per the provisions of the Central government’s Plastic Waste
Management Rules 2016 and a circular issued by the State government in
this connection.
District Collector T. Mithra said that the raids
would be intensified in the coming days all over the district since the
government was very serious about the ban.
At
the same time, it had been noticed that the ban was also gaining more
and more acceptance among many customers and shopkeepers.
