Plastic bags seized, users fined in Warangal

Warangal: A special team tasked with keeping a tab on using plastic bags on Friday conducted raids on business establishments in the city and seized whopping 140 kilogram plastic bags, thin below 50 microns.

It may be mentioned here that Warangal Urban District Collector Prashanth Jeevan Patil at a meeting with the solid waste management special task force committee recently, instructed the officials to go strict on those, who infringe the ban imposed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on the use, sale and storage of non-biodegradable plastic bags less than 50 microns would be punished.

The special team, which raided provisional stores, hotels and other business establishments from Fathima Nagar to Kazipet, didn't spare street vendors also. The team seized banned plastic bags from business establishments and slapped penalty on them. In all, the officials collected Rs 15,650 as penalty. The team said that they will close the establishments if they repeat the offence.

"Millions of carelessly discarded plastic bags are choking the sewers," Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) Health Officer Dr Raja Reddy said. He said that the onus is on every denizen to keep the city clean and minimise the use of plastics.

Instead of using plastic bags, the people should come forward to use jute, paper and cloth bags, he said, referring to the importance of environment-friendly practices. He said that efforts are on to sensitise the people about the ill-effects of plastics. Sanitary inspector Ch Shyamraj and others participated in the raids.