Ban Plastic Raid Started
Corporation officials conducting raid in a shop at R.S. Puram area in the city on Wednesday. The officials from the Health Department of the Coimbatore Corporation commenced a drive across the city to enforce the ban on plastics that came into effect in the city on Wednesday. With the Corporation having notified the ban on plastics, the Corporation Commissioner, V.K. Shanmugam, and the Deputy Commissioner, V. Shantha, constituted special teams to enforce the rule strictly.Corporation officials conducting raid in a shop at R.S. Puram area in the city on Wednesday
The special teams were led by the City Health Officer, M. Thangaraj at the city-level. In all the four zones, the Assistant Commissioners led the teams which comprised Zonal Sanitary Officer, Sanitary Inspector and Health Workers. The teams have been asked to conduct raids at shops on the look out for plastic bags, plates, tumblers and caution the shopkeepers to refrain from using or selling them. The teams would be visiting the shops on a daily basis both in the morning and evening.
Being the very first day of the enforcement, the officials merely advised the shop owners to refrain from using plastic carry bags and fine was not imposed on any of them. Such lenience would not be shown in future if the shopkeepers failed to display a culture of compliance to the ban. The Corporation officials clarified that the shops using or selling these plastic bags, plates and tumblers and the members of the public found in possession of the same would also be fined.The ban is applicable for plastics with less than 20 microns.
However, the officials clarify that public and merchants should even desist from using such plastics since they could not be recycled repeatedly. Corporation officials had planned to visit the shopping areas in the evening to sensitise the shopkeepers as well as the public on the need for their support and participation in getting the city rid of plastics. In West Zone, the team led by Assistant Commissioner, R. Muthusamy and Zonal Sanitary Officer (incharge), V. Manivannan raided 30 shops and seized about 16 bundles of plastic carry bags. Each bundle contained 250 plastic bags each. Beginning Thursday, the authorities plan to intensify the raid.
