CHENNAI
The State government has appointed three senior IAS officers as regional coordinators for the effective implementation of the ban on one-time and throwaway plastics that will kick in from January next year.
The three regional coordinators – P. Amudha (Commissioner of Food Safety), Santhosh Babu (Chairman & Managing Director of Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation Ltd) and Rajendra Ratnoo (Commissioner for Disaster Management) — will coordinate efforts in various parts of the State.
Sources said that the officers would coordinate with the District Collectors and the NGOs in their respective regions and take steps for the effective implementation of the ban. The Chief Minister is expected to launch the mission formally soon.
Framing directions
The Environment and Forests Department has also issued orders framing directions for the implementation of the announcement made by the Chief Minister on the floor of the Assembly last month.
Under the proposed norms, while no industry or person shall manufacture, store, supply, transport, sell or distribute ‘use and throwaway plastics’ and no person shall use ‘use and throw away plastics’.
Plastic carrybags made exclusively for export purpose against any export order in a plastic industry located in a Special Economic Zone and Export Oriented Units are exempted.
Plastic bags that “constitute or form an integral part of packaging” in which goods are sealed prior to use at manufacturing/processing units and those used in forestry and horticulture nurseries, those used in packing of milk and milk products, oil, medicine and medical equipment are also exempted, the G.O. issued by Environment and Forest Department Mohammad Nasimuddin stated. =As announced by the Chief Minister, the ban would come into effect from January 1, 2019.