Sambalpur Municipal Corporation to engage SHGs to make paper bags

SAMBALPUR: THE Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC) will rope in self help groups to make paper bags that would be used by traders in place of polythene bags.

This was informed at a meeting of the SMC for traders to make them aware of polythene ban on Saturday. Sambalpur Collector Samarth Verma said they would strictly implement the notification of the State Government on polythene ban and clarified doubts of the traders on the new notification. Assistant Director of ORMAS, Sambalpur, Srimanta Hota said a survey indicated that 43,000 quintals of paper bags are required by traders in the city on daily basis. ORMAS is planning to engage 300 self help groups to make the paper bags and supply those to traders.

Enforcement Officer of SMC, Subhankar Mohanty said the new rule on polythene ban was implemented on October 2 and they have been conducting regular raids since then.