Thursday, 24 March 2022 | PNS | Dehradun
The Nainital district magistrate (DM) Dhiraaj Singh Garbiyal has directed the municipal and forest officials to take necessary actions against the usage of plastic to make the district plastic-free. The DM conducted a meeting with the municipal officials and sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) to prevent the use of plastic and other prohibited material across the district, especially in marketplaces. He has directed the officials concerned to commence the confiscation of such prohibited materials and impose penalties on those found to be violating the rules. He directed them to start taking actions from this week to make the district plastic-free by conducting regular inspections, especially among shopkeepers and vendors of busy market areas.
He asked the SDMs to run a special campaign for sanitation and anti-plastic usage in areas like Ramnagar, Mukteshwar, Dhanachuli and Bhatelia to raise awareness among locals. He has asked the officials to involve village development officers, district panchayat and district panchayati raj departments to raise awareness among locals.
He also instructed the officials of municipal bodies to maintain extra sanitation arrangements at tourist places like Mall Road, Nainital and Kennedy Park among other famous locations.
He also stressed on the need to restrict the use of single-use plastic by establishing coordination with the Pollution Control Board. He asked them to spread awareness about the ban of single-use plastics at places like Railway crossing and weekly Haat Bazaar and Shani Bazaar. He has also issued directions to the municipal body to float a tender for the proper disposal of garbage. The DM also expressed his disappointment over the absence of the divisional forest officers in the meeting to discuss the measures to prevent the usage of single-use plastics in the forest area but still directed them to take necessary actions on the matter.
