Monday, 19 December 2022 | PNS | DEHRADUN
As part of efforts to check the usage of single-use plastic items in the city, the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) has seized about 1,000 kilogrammes of banned plastic items since July. The corporation started inspection and seizing the banned plastic items initially from street vendors in marketplaces but later it started inspecting stores and shops in main marketplaces. As per the data provided by the corporation, the sanitation team has identified a total of 3,666 breaches of the plastic ban across the city since July till now and imposed a penalty for every identified breach.
The chief municipal health officer Dr Avinash Khanna said that the teams conducted over 7,640 inspections of several commercial establishments in the past six months and seized about 1,000 kilogrammes of banned plastic items. He said that the minimum penalty imposed by MCD was Rs 500 and since July, it has collected a revenue of about Rs 10 lakh by imposing penalties as per the rules. He said that MCD also trained 100 sanitation workers in the past six months under the central government’s Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaign on solid waste management to ensure proper implementation of the corporation’s action oriented plan at the local level. He said that the corporation is also considering commencing an anti-plastic drive against the eateries using banned materials for packaging.
They will also start taking action against manufacturers and suppliers of banned plastic items in the city. He said that the MCD teams will also penalise consumers found to be using banned plastic products. Locals can also complain to the corporation about such blatant violations in their respective areas to minimise the usage of plastic in the city, said Khanna. He said that the corporation will also start a few more initiatives in the next few weeks to improve sanitation facilities across the city considering Swachchh Survekshan 2023. He said that MCD got the 68th position in SS 22 but it is aiming to get a position in the top 50 cleanest cities in SS 23.
