The City Municipal Corporation has warned the manufacturers, suppliers, traders and the users of banned plastic items with heavy penalty for violations.
The State Government had banned the use of 14 types of plastics and implemented the ban from January 2, 2019. Officials in the four zones had till June 17 raided 3,269 shops and seized 11,866 kg of banned plastic items and imposed fine on the violators.
In Suramangalam zone, officials raided 777 shops and seized 3,675 kg plastics and levied a fine of ₹ 2.06 lakh; in Hasthampatty, 625 shops were raided, 1,238 kg seized and a fine of ₹ 3.29 lakh was levied; in Ammapet, 947 shops were raided and 4,507 kg was seized and the officials levied a fine of ₹ 4.17 lakh and in Kondalampatty, the officials raided 920 shops and seized 2,446 kg plastics and levied a fine of ₹ 2.80 lakh.
The government had again made amendments to the law that penalises for storage, supply, transport, sale, distribution and use of the plastics items. The officials said that the penalty for first offence: manufacture of banned plastic items - ₹ 2 lakh (₹ 5 lakh for subsequent offences), storage, supply, transport of material - ₹ 1 lakh (₹ 2 lakh), trading, retailing, selling and distribution - ₹ 50,000 (₹ 1 lakh), commercial users of banned items - ₹ 25,000 (₹ 50,000) and domestic users of the banned products - ₹ 500 (₹ 1,000). The officials said that they were yet to receive the revised penalty for the offences, and would implement it soon. They warned the shopkeepers and traders not to sell the banned plastic items and also asked the public not to use them.