Launch a crackdown on single-use plastic, says GB Nagar DM

The NGT has prohibited the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of identified single-use plastic items as of July 1, 2022

Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate Manish Kumar Verma on Monday directed district officials to launch a large-scale campaign to confiscate banned polythene bags and another to curb dust pollution, said officials. “Awareness should be created to discourage the use of polythene and if shopkeepers are still found using them, then action should be taken to confiscate the plastic bags and the errant shopkeepers fined,” Verma told officials in a meeting on Monday. The DM, during the meeting, also stressed on the need to take effective measures to contain air pollution. By running a campaign in the district to reduce pollution, officials can ensure that rules of National Green Tribunal (NGT) and pollution control board are adhered to. ”Wherever NGT rules are found to be violated, fines should be imposed,” he told officials. The NGT has prohibited the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of identified single-use plastic items as of July 1, 2022. An expert member of the district Ganga committee Akash Vashishtha had suggested conducting a geo satellite survey to help detect illegal structures the moment they are raised. “Today those directions were reviewed and followed up. The DM has instructed officials to devise a mechanism (to identify illegal construction) and have further deliberations on its implementation,” Vashistha said. In this regard, the Remote Sensing Applications Centre, Uttar Pradesh, will be enlisted as a consultant. If implemented, Gautam Budh Nagar would be the first district in the state to have such a surveillance mechanism, officials said.