CHANDIGARH: The joint teams of municipal corporations/committees and Punjab Pollution Control Board, in their ongoing state wide raids to seize illegal plastic bags on the directions of the Directorate of Environment and Climate Change, Punjab, have seized 2,600 kg of the same on Wednesday, June 25. The biggest seize was made in Batala, where 1,350 kg of plastic bags were confiscated. 282 establishments were raided out of which 153 were found violating the ban. K S Pannu, Director, Environment and Climate Change said, “We have issued challans to 144 violators and slapped a penalty of Rs 12,000 on the spot, while in the rest of the cases fine will be imposed after hearing by the municipal corporations.”
Pannu also appealed to the general public of Punjab to cooperate with the raids as it is a necessary step to curb the menace caused by plastic to the environment. “People need to change their shopping habits and at least use/carry cloth or jute bag while making purchases, he added.