The district administration and City Corporation on Wednesday took part in a series of raids and awareness initiatives throwing light on the State government’s plastic ban that came into effect on January 1.
Collector S. Natarajan went to several areas, including Tirupparankundram, Paravai, Chekkanurani and Nagamalai, accompanied by a team consisting of members from revenue and police departments and the Corporation and conducted raids.
The team visited shops around Subramanya Swamy temple and enlightened shopkeepers about switching over to cloth bags. “The life of single-use plastic barely lasts a few minutes,” Mr. Natarajan said.
People must make the move to indigenous and environmentally friendly methods at the earliest, he added.
The Collector also distributed cloth bags to passers-by.
Mr. Natarajan also inspected shops at Chekkanurani Bus Stop and appealed to travellers to use cloth bags. He appreciated shopkeepers who used banana leaves as packaging material in Paravai and addressed students of S. Vellaichamy Nadar College in Nagamalai.
Meanwhile, a civic team comprising assistant commissioners, sanitary officers, inspectors, Swachh police and volunteers inspected shops across different zones.
A press statement said a total of 781 shops were inspected and 41 fined ₹20,500 for continuing to use plastic. A total of 462 kg was seized.
Many shops continued to use non-woven bags and some shopkeepers complained that sanitary workers often seized plastic items not listed by the government.
