Plastic chokes Kakinada’s drainage system

Kakinada: Tons of plastic bags have been found after the Kakinada Municipality took up repairs of drains in the town, even though their use has been banned by the government and a campaign has been launched to discourage them.

• Environmentalists advocate use of alternative products like bags made of paper, jute & cloth
• Consumers want the Medical & Health dept officials to deal strictly with ban violators by raiding shops

Apparently the ban was enforced for some days by shops and the rythu bazaars. Now traders are offering plastic bags to customers, as usual. The bagss have been found not only in drains in Kakinada but also at several places in East Godavari district. This becomes clear that the orders banning the use of plastic bags issued by the Director of Municipal Administration five years back are not being complied with.

Kakinada, which was recently included in the list of smart cities, tops in the district in the use of plastic. In view of the distinction achieved by the city there is a need for implementing the ban on the use of plastic bags, say environmentalists.

The environmentalists want the municipal officials, two local MLAs and the collector to take steps towards strict implementation of the ban. They advocated the use of alternatives like bags made of paper, jute and cloth by the corporation. The environmentalists called for the use of and widespread campaign on biodegradable, jute and cloth bags at the state level to prevent damage to the environment.

The consumers want the Medical and Health department officials to deal strictly with the violators of the ban orders by conducting raids on kirana/liquor/meat shops and rythu bazaars. They want these establishments to put up boards stating that plastic bags are not available and will not be provided.