Plastic carry bag sellers and users to face the music

KOCHI: Using and selling single-use plastic carry bags in the district could land you in trouble. This after the district administration deciding to take action against the wholesale dealers who used the lockdown period as an opportunity to sell the banned products to retail shopkeepers.“As we were busy in containing Covid-19, we had stopped inspections for the past two months. We came to know that several shopkeepers have been using banned plastic carry bags. A directive has been given to the Pollution Control Board (PCB) and Suchithwa Mission officials to inspect shops. Stringent action will be taken against erring shop owners and a stiff fine will imposed,” said District Collector S Suhas.

“Large quantity of plastic waste was removed while cleaning the canals as part of the ‘Operation Breakthrough’ project. This is a worrying sign. We are planning a massive drive across the district,” he said. Taking advantage of the lax inspection, wholesale plastic dealers sold banned bags at throwaway prices during the lockdown. And ever since the state relaxed the lockdown restrictions, shopkeepers — from wayside fruit sellers to grocery shop owners — have been using them to sell goods.

Textile majors Kalyan Silks and Jayalakshmi Silks were in for a rude shock when PCB officials and officers from the Corporation’s health wing conducted raids led by Fort Kochi sub-collector Snehil Kumar Singh. Meanwhile, the corporation has decided to re-start the drive to seize banned plastic carry bags from shops. “It is true that the inspection came to a halt due to the lockdown. Though some started using cloth and paper bags, there still is a huge demand for plastic carry bags. Soon the health department will carry out a drive and hefty fine will be imposed if anyone  is found violating the rule,” said Mayor Soumini Jain.