Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Anti-plastic drive gains momentum

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The drive to enforce the ban on plastic materials below 30 microns in the city gained momentum on Tuesday.

The City Corporation carried out raids on shops and hotels in the Palayam and Medical College areas and seized 45 kg of plastic covers and disposable containers from traders.

The special squads deployed by the Corporation issued notice warning the traders to stop stocking and selling plastic materials coming under the ban. G.R. Anil, chairman of the Corporation’s Health standing committee, said the drive would enter the next phase on Wednesday.

He said directions had been issued to the squads to initiate prosecution proceedings against traders who failed to comply with the notice issued earlier. The raids would be intensified in the coming days, he said.

Simultaneously, the Corporation has drawn up a plan to kick-start a campaign highlighting the environmental hazards caused by the use of plastics.

The campaign will be launched in schools and colleges and extended to residential colonies in due course. Vehicles mounted with public address systems will be pressed into service to discourage the use of plastics.

A series of seminars has also been planned. The Corporation plans to convene meetings of Kudumbasree units involved in garbage collection to encourage them to become active partners in the enforcement drive.

Meanwhile, the Corporation has initiated moves to make its headquarters plastic-free. The Indian Coffee House on the premises has been directed to substitute plastic wrappers with plantain leaves and plastic cups with paper cups.

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