Team Herald
PERNEM: Following the decision of government to ban use or sale of plastics in the panchayat jurisdiction, Arambol Village Panchayat decided to enforce it from next 15 days.
During a special gram sabha, Sarpanch Inacio D’Souza urged the shop owners and entrepreneurs to cooperate with the plastics ban and lend a helping hand in the cleanliness campaign in the village by not using and selling plastics.
At the beginning of the gram sabha, Panchayat Secretary Dashrath Parab read the circular issued by the government to the villagers. Later, the entrepreneurs, shop owners were requested to cooperate with the panchayat.
Inacio explained the shop owners and entrepreneurs that as per the Government rules, plastic bags that are allowed for sale should be higher than 50 microns and bags below 50 microns will not be allowed to use and if found using then the government has decided to recover fine of Rs 5,000 from the infringement establishment.
It was also decided that members of Panchayat Board and Committee will conduct inspection of shops/commercial and strict action will be taken against the violators.
However, responding to the panchayat body, the locals aggressively expressed that the government has been trying to implement the plastics ban and accordingly ordered the panchayats to ban plastic in their respected areas but until the government does not stop the plastic traders from manufacturing plastics, ban on plastics cannot be implemented. One side the government is talking about plastics ban and on the other hand issuing licences to the industries to manufacture plastics.
