Karnal, September 17:- The Municipal Corporation has intensified its crackdown on the use of single-use plastic (SUP) in the city. Following strict instructions from Municipal Corporation Commissioner Dr. Vaishali Sharma, the enforcement team is continuously conducting raids to seize single-use plastic items and issue fines. 

In Sector-7 market, 13 shopkeepers using single-use plastic were fined, resulting in a total penalty of ?20,500. During this operation, approximately 14 kilograms of SUP-made items and cutlery were also seized by the team.

 

Compostable Carry Bags Available:

To raise awareness against the use and sale of single-use plastics, the Municipal Corporation is continuously organizing Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) activities in markets. Hotels, dhabas, restaurants, shopkeepers, and street vendors have been repeatedly informed about using compostable cutlery items and carry bags as alternatives. Despite this, the enforcement team will continue to issue fines against shopkeepers who fail to comply with the regulations.

 

Penalties for Single-Use Plastic:

 

Plastic Quantity Fine (?)

Up to 100 grams 500

101–500 grams 1,500

501 grams–1 kg 3,000

1–5 kg 10,000

5–10 kg 20,000

Above 10 kg 25,000

 

Appeal to Citizens:

The Municipal Commissioner has appealed to all shopkeepers and residents to pledge to abandon single-use plastics and contribute to keeping the earth and environment clean. She suggested using cloth or jute bags instead of plastic carry bags, bringing cloth bags from home while shopping, and not demanding polythene carry bags from shopkeepers. 

She urged everyone to cooperate with the Municipal Corporation for a clean city and environmental protection. During the operation, the enforcement team included Sanitation Inspectors Mandeep Singh and Sandeep Kumar, Assistant Sanitation Inspectors Pravesh Kumar and Gulab Singh, Trigger Master Gurdev Singh, and the Municipal Corporation’s Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) team.