Tirupati: MCT slaps Rs 40,000 fine on vendors for using plastic covers
MCT Health Officer Dr E R Hari Krishna along with his staff conducting raids on shops to prevent selling and using of banned plastic covers, in Tirupati on Thursday.
Tirupati: The Health officials of Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT) on Thursday slapped a fine of Rs 40,000 on those traders who are using and selling the banned plastic covers.
Health Officer E R Hari Krishna raided plastic covers selling shops, provision stores and tiffin centres in the city on Thursday and imposed Rs 40,000 fine on various persons selling banned plastic covers. Before the Covid pandemic, the civic authorities have strictly banned usage of plastic carry bags in shops, tiffin centres and other business establishments and slapped fines during special drives also. Even the business establishments also strictly followed the restrictions of officials on using the plastic covers and immediately adopted using paper covers or bags in the place of plastic to avoid fines.
With increase of Covid infections and imposition of lockdown, all traders and business establishments completely forgot the ban on usage of plastic bags.
With normalcy restored after the pandemic situation, the shop keepers once again started providing plastic covers for goods purchased by the customers, even at malls and supermarkets. The increase in usage of plastic covers triggered officials to conduct raids suddenly, indicating shop keepers and petty traders that the ban on plastic covers still in effect.
Speaking to media persons, Dr Hari Krishna said the temple city was declared as plastic-free city on October 2, 2018 and municipal staff along with officials had a vigilance on even small business parsons to big shops and they also seized banned plastic products and fined many. He also revealed that the Commissioner conducted a meeting with Chamber of Commerce members and shop keepers and gave 10 days time to stop selling covers in the first week of March but they did not obliged the order.
He said the use of plastic covers cause severe damage to the environment and the violators would be fined as per law.
MCT Sanitary supervisors Chenchaiah, Sumathi, Sanitary Inspector Om Prakash, Yogendra, Subramanyam, Gopinath, Krishna, Yadagiri and Vamsi participated in the raids.