The city Corporation seized 400 kg of plastic and non-woven polypropylene carry bags during raids on wholesale plastic outlets in the Chala market near Attakulangara on Thursday.
The Corporation had banned the use of plastic and non-woven polypropylene carry bags in the city limits on March 1.
30-member squad
The plastic was seized from six establishments by 30 Corporation health inspectors led by supervisors P. Dharmapalan, Ushakaran, and Ramesh Kumar.
The drive was far from smooth, however. As soon as the inspection began, a few traders gathered around and created a ruckus. When they tried to manhandle Kadakampally circle junior health inspector Deepakumar, a police team led by the Fort sub-inspector that accompanied the Corporation squad intervened. A huge police team, led by the Assistant Commissioner of Police, then reached the spot and provided security to the squad while conducting the raids. While most people and traders were cooperating with the ban on such carry bags, a few traders were flouting the ban, forcing the Corporation to launch a fresh round of raids, Mayor V.K. Prasanth here said.
The Mayor said the Corporation was determined to enforce the ban, and the raids would continue over the next few days.
Talks had been scheduled with representatives of traders to impress upon them the significance of the ban, he said.
However, if the traders failed to toe the line, the Corporation would not hesitate to seek police assistance for the raids.
The District Collector had been apprised of the matter, he said.
The traders did not suffer any loss, and passed on the cost of the carry bags to consumers. Hence, their insistence on using polypropylene carry bags could not be justified, he said.
The ban was enforced to protect the health of the residents and the environment. Strict action would be taken against any attempts to violate it, the Mayor warned.
