Siliguri, 01st July: The government has put a ban on the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of single-use plastic products from today all over the country. The move has mainly been taken considering that plastic materials particularly poly bags, and single-use plastic bottles clog the drains and are the main cause of pollution.
Enforcing the order without any delay, under the supervision of Deputy Mayor of Siliguri Municipal Corporation Ranjan Sarkar and Siliguri Municipal Corporation Commissioner Sonam Wangdi Bhutia, the Mayor-Council members campaigned in Ward No. 03 to make Siliguri a plastic-free city. The team inspected each shop of Gurung Busty, and appealed to vendors and buyers to avoid the use of plastic. Paper bags were also provided as an alternative.
Speaking to the media, Deputy Mayor Ranjan Sarkar stated that the Municipal Corporation has started the campaign to make Siliguri a plastic-free city. Therefore, a campaign was conducted in Gurung Busty to make the general public and the vendors aware of the new rules. Along with this, the municipality members seized plastics from multiple shops in the said ward.
SMC Commissioner Sonam Wangdi Bhutia also added that from today, the government has prohibited single-use plastic and so the SMC is taking every step to implement the order. He further maintained that all the vendors and customers are being requested to avoid single-use plastics. Multiple shops possessing and selling plastics were fined and the plastics were seized. Furthermore, from today onwards, Rs 500 fine will be imposed on the vendor and a Rs 50 on the customer if the guidelines are violated. Also, the license of the shopkeeper may get canceled as well.