Mohali municipal corporation raids mandi, seizes 35kg plastic bags

MOHALI: Residents believe that the raids conducted by Mohali municipal corporation (MC) to check the usage of polythene bags in kisan mandi is a mere formality. MC officials on Sunday carried out a raid in Kisan Mandi in Phase VIII on Sunday where 30-35kg plastic bags were seized and erring vendors were issued notice.
An MC official said regular checks and raids would be carried out to make Mohali a plastic bag free district.
Jagsharan Singh, a resident of Phase VII, believes the exercise should have been taken up earlier. He added, "Plastic bags are being used with impunity in various markets, especially in kisan mandis across Mohali. Regular checks are the needs of the hour."
Notably, a case of death of 280 stray cattle was highlighted in Mohali and the postmortem of the carcass revealed that the cause of death was due to excessive consumption of plastic bags. Consumption of blades and sharp-edged kitchen items were also found to be the cause of deaths.
Councillor Kuljeet Singh Bedi said the ban on plastic bags should imply a ban on its usage, storage, manufacturing, distribution and recycling. He added that items made of thermocol like disposable plates, glasses, cups and spoons should also be banned. He said, "The city is marred with the menace which must be curtailed till it's too late. If Himachal Pradesh can do it, then why not Punjab."
Many residents said thee open garbage dumps are the spots where huge quantities of plastic bags are found. Interestingly, MC had announced to fine residents who will litter debris in the open. Simce the announcement, MC had failed to live up to its mark and could not issue even a single challan.