Corporation steps up drive to make Chennai beaches plastic-free

Greater Chennai Corporation has penalised several shops on the city’s beaches in the last few days for defying the ban on use of plastics

August 08, 2022 09:02 pm | Updated 09:02 pm IST - CHENNAI

Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi on Elliot’s beach during the special cleaning drive on Monday.

Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi on Elliot’s beach during the special cleaning drive on Monday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Beaches in city are set to be plastic-free as the Greater Chennai Corporation has intensified its drive against use of plastics.

Flying squads inspected 1,596 shops on the beaches as part of the drive. Of the 1,391 shops which were inspected on the Marina beach between August 5 and 8, 61 were found to be using banned plastics. A fine of ₹15,700 was collected from the shops.

Of the 174 shops inspected on Elliot’s Beach in Ward 174, 40 were found to be using banned plastics. Similarly, eight of the 31 shops on Thiruvanmiyur beach in Ward 180 had defied the ban on plastics.

A total of 109 shops have been penalised for violating the ban on plastics. Around 7% of the shops that were inspected during the drive were found to have violated the ban on plastics, the officials said. 

Cleaning drive

Six machines and special teams of conservancy workers have been deployed to clear plastic waste at regular intervals on the beaches.

Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi on Monday inspected the work on mechanical cleaning of plastics on the Marina and Elliot’s beaches . He was accompanied by Deputy Mayor Magesh Kumar.

The civic body will create awareness about the need for strict implementation of plastic ban on the beaches to prevent pollution. Plastics collected by the machines will be incinerated in the facility developed on the beaches.

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