With traders across Mandya violating rules pertaining to the sale of non-biodegradable plastic items openly, the Mandya City Municipal Council (CMC) has intensified its raids against such traders in the town.
The State government had recently issued circulars banning plastic. The civic authority had asked the traders not to sell or distribute non-biodegradable plastic items. Nevertheless, the traders are still violating the ban order.
As they are distributing the banned items, the CMC has launched a drive on Monday and continued it on Tuesday. Led by CMC president H.C. Bore Gowda, Commissioner T.N. Narasimha Murthy and Councillor Mahesh, the CMC officials conducted surprise raids on several shops in the town and seized a huge quantity of polythene covers, plastic plates, tumblers, cups and other banned plastic materials from several wholesale shops.
While the officials urged the shopkeepers not to sell plastics materials, they requested the public to refrain from using such items.
“We have seized around two tonnes of plastic materials during the raids,” K.S. Sneha, Environmental Engineer, CMC, told The Hindu here on Tuesday. The shopkeepers were fined Rs. 16,500 for stocking and selling the banned materials, she said. The drive will continue for a few more days, Mr. Mahesh said. The CMC will send the seized materials to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) for safe disposal.
