Drive against single-use plastic to be intensified: Collector

District Collector A.Shanmuga Sundram issuing pamplets to raise awarness against single-use plastics at Nethaji market in Vellore on Wednesday.

Awareness campaign for vendors held at Nethaji market

The district administration of Vellore would intensify its drive against usage of single-use plastic items such as bags and cups, said Collector A. Shanmuga Sundram

While launching an awareness campaign on the ban on usage of such articles among the traders in Nethaji Flower, Vegetable and Fruit market in Vellore on Wednesday, the Collector announced that violators would be booked and maximum punishment would be meted out to them. He interacted with the fruit and flower vendors in the market, asking them to discourage the use of plastic bags, as they were dangerous to the environment.

He added that though action is being taken on the usage of banned plastic items, they were being smuggled into the State from neighbouring States where there is no ban on manufacturing or trading.

“We have instructed food safety officers and municipal officials to intensify their drive against the usage of plastics and reports of action taken are regularly sought from them ,” Mr. Shanmuga Sundram said.

He distributed cloth bags and pamphlets reading with messages on the ill-effects of using plastic items and urged them to use alternative materials as suggested in the manual. Vellore City Municipal Corporation Commissioner, S. Sivasubramanian,

DRDA Project Director P. Periasamy, Municipal Health Officer T. Manivannan and Sanitary Inspector Sivakumar participated in the campaign.

Throwaway plastics

Officials of Vellore City Municipal Corporation and Food Safety department have intensified the drive against 14 throwaway plastic items banned by the state government.

“Officials have been visiting shops and seizing banned plastic on a regular basis. The election work came in the way. But it was once again started vigorously. We are regularly sending reports on the plastic seizure,” said an official.

The ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi aims at accelerating the momentum of Swachh Bharat in the run-up to its 4th anniversary.

It also aims at laying down the foundation of sustainability, reinforcing the concept of “sanitation as everyone’s business”, and commencing Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth year celebrations with a nationwide campaign.