In a crackdown on single-use plastics, a joint inspection team seized approximately 1,705.451 kilogrammes of banned plastic items from several shops in East Jaintia Hills on July 8, a delayed press release informed today.
The inspection, carried out by Executive Magistrates, police and representatives from the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB), aimed to enforce the ban on single-use plastics in the state, as directed by the Meghalaya High Court.
The team inspected several shops at markets in Ladrymbai, Khliehriat, Sookilo and Umpleng area, seizing a significant quantity of single-use plastics less than 120 microns in thickness.
The seizure comes after the High Court directed the state government to strictly implement the ban on single-use plastic items of less than 120 microns. The court had also ordered the Deputy Commissioners to carry out awareness camps, make public announcements about the health hazards of plastic use and prevent the manufacture, sale and use of banned plastic items.
The state government had filed a report specifying district-wise compliance in all 12 districts barring East Jaintia Hills. The court has directed the state to file a compliance report from the district authorities before the next hearing on August 12.
