Plastic-free enforcement drives in Dimapur, Kohima

[caption id="attachment_275279" align="alignnone" width="550"] The Kohima District Task Force on total ban of single-use plastic conducting a check in the capital town on Friday.[/caption] Dimapur, Oct. 4 (EMN): To ensure strict implementation of the ban on single-use plastic items, separate checking exercises were conducted at Kohima and Dimapur on Friday, according to DIPR reports. In the state capital, the Kohima District Task Force conducted a checking and confiscation exercise covering the entire stretch of Kohima town. The task force on total ban of single-use plastic comprising of members from the district administration and various other departments, and NGOs ‘conducted the checking exercise with the objective of sensitising the citizens about the total ban imposed on all single-use plastic products; and also to restrict all shops within the Kohima jurisdiction from selling and using plastic bags, mineral water bottles below 2 litre, Styrofoam cups and plates, plastic cups, forks and spoons, and a number of other single-use non-biodegradable plastic products.’ The task force conducted the checking exercise with its members divided into four teams, each covering different areas, and was assisted by various public organisations. The teams also distributed paper bags, and even approached pedestrians and shoppers using plastic bags and made them aware of the ban imposed and handed out paper bags as replacement for their plastic bags, according to the DIPR. A large number of shops were caught selling the banned single-use plastic products. The erring shopkeepers were let off with a ‘formal warning’ and no fines were levied but the banned products were all confiscated by the teams for disposal. Future defaulters would face more severe penalties, which would involve fines and even cancellation of trade licenses, it reported. “The district administration also greatly acknowledged the active participation of the various civil societies and NGOs under Kohima district, without whose support and cooperation the plastic-free campaign would have been a failure right from the start. “The checking exercise, the first in the state has indeed put the focus back on Kohima, the state capital, which is leading the fight against plastic pollution by example and hopefully the rest of the state would follow in its footsteps in the days to come. Kohima is finally moving forward in its bid to become a smart city with smart people,” read the report. In Dimapur, the exercise was conducted by SDO (C) sadar, N Zubenthung Ngullie, along with police personnel, and members of DMC, GB of New Market area & DBs and DCCI. The checking was limited to New Market area, according to the report. Around 40 kg of banned single-use plastic, including disposable plates, spoons, straws etc., were seized from various shops during the raid, which was handed over to DMC for proper disposal, it reported.