SCB plans rallies to fight plastic menace

SECUNDERABAD: In order to strengthen the implementation of the ban on single-use plastic, the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) will now circulate a special brochure, listing plastic and thermocol goods that have been banned for sale and use. The brochures will be supplied to shopkeepers as well as consumers.
Officials said the SCB could be the first Cantonment in the country to come up with a proposal to educate the public on these lines. The aim is to reach out to all shopkeepers in the area who use plastic extensively and frequently.
The SCB’s health and sanitation wing had already taken up awareness campaigns in noted shrines in the Cantonment area and on Saturday, the campaign was extended to schools in the area. Students took out a rally to raise awareness on the issue and pledged to do their bit.
SCB officials on Saturday kicked off the drive from a private school in Bowenpally in the form of a rally.
“The brochures are printed in two languages, Telugu and English, and will be distributed in over 15,000 small, medium and major commercial units in Secunderabad Cantonment. It is a six-page brochure which contains a list of banned plastic and thermocol items, penalties to be imposed against the violators and list of officials handling the plastic ban orders and along with contact numbers,” SCB solid waste management superintendent, M Devender told TOI.
Residents who find shopkeepers using plastic, despite the ban, can call on the specified mobile numbers to lodge a complaint. We keep the informant’ credentials completely confidential, he said.
Officials said that they would continue conducting raids by deploying special teams. “If banned plastic materials are found, heavy penalties will be imposed,” said the SCB official. “We have been conducting raids for over six months at various commercial units and sealed many of them. Once penalties were paid, we allowed them to resume operations,” a senior SCB official said.