Jamshedpur, June 30: Beware ! From July 1 onward, anyone found using a plastic carry bag will be penalised squarely.
The local administration has launched a month-long drive through its civic bodies against the sale or use of plastic carry bags in the steel city.
Under the drive if anyone found selling or using a plastic carry bag will have to pay a penalty which ranges from Rs 100 to Rs 10,000 by the officials of Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC), Mango Notified Area Committee (MNAC) and Jugsalai Municipality.
Acting on instruction given by DC Vijaya Jhadav, the special officers of all the three civic bodies have set up teams for starting the drive across the city.
“The drive is aimed at keeping the city free from polluting and hazardous plastic carry bags. The drive will continue during which we will also try to make the traders as well as the users understand that such carry bags are 100 percent banned and if found selling or using them will attract a penalty,” said an official.
The plastic was banned during the Raghubar Das regime and the sale of plastic carry bags remained banned for two years, starting from 2017. But after the Hemant Soren government came to power, the menacing plastic carry bags returned to be sold and used openly, especially by the vegetable vendors and grocery shop owners.
According to sources, the plastic carry bags are sold in the stationary shops. During the 2017-19 when the administration had launched a special drive against it, the shop-owners had either removed the stock of such bags from the shop or had concealed them in the godown. After the change of government, the shop-keepers had resumed the sale as there was a strong demand for it by the retailers as well as the vegetable vendors.
Customers should voluntarily refuse to accept polythin plastic from any vendor may vegetable, mutton, fruits, grosery etc. Shop owners should also invite cotton bags from customers. No bag no goods.