Traders on Wednesday said that plastic items that aren’t on the list of banned items were also being taken away during raids by local bodies while enforcing the ban on 14 kinds of plastic goods.

“We are getting videos of shop racks just being emptied out in other places. A trader in Erode lost goods worth ₹4 lakh in one go. These items are banned only in Tamil Nadu but not in Andhra Pradesh or Puducherry; we can sell them elsewhere. We don’t want to lose things,” said a trader, who did not want to be named.

A.M. Vikramaraja, president, Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangankalin Peramaipu, said small vendors who made snacks at home and sold at shops were unable to pack their goods since plastic shops were closed. He said this government order was only helping multinational companies and crushing local industries.