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Members of Dimapur district task force during a raid on single-use plastic items on November 14.e[/caption]
Dimapur, Nov. 15 (EMN): District task forces on total ban of single-use plastic undertook surprise checking in Kohima and Dimapur towns on November 15 and 14 resulting in seizure of huge quantities of such items from the shops.
District task force in Kohima conducted its second checking and confiscation exercise covering the whole of Kohima town on November 15. The task force, comprising of members from the district administration and other departments and NGOs, conducted the checking exercise with the objective of enforcing 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 litres, Styrofoam cups and plates, plastic cups, forks and spoons and a number of other single-use non-biodegradable plastic products.
A DIPR report stated that the task force members were divided into five teams, each covering different areas and were assisted by various public organisations. It stated that a large number of shops were caught selling the banned single-use plastic products. It added that erring shopkeepers were fined and forewarned of cancelling their trade licenses if found violating the ban order again. The banned products were all confiscated by the teams for disposal.
With the government working tirelessly to make Nagaland a plastic-free state, the efforts of the Kohima district task force on total ban on single-use plastics is making a difference with a considerable decrease in the output of non-biodegradable plastic waste and leaving the state capital looking cleaner and greener, the report added.
In a similar exercise, Dimapur task force on ban of single-use plastic items conducted a surprise checking along the entire stretch of Nyamo Lotha Road and New Market on November 14.
The raid was led by EAC Sadar, Dimapur, along with representatives of DMC, police and GBs of New Market area, a DIPR report stated.
According to the EAC, around 120 kgs of banned single-use plastic items were seized during the raid. The district task force had warned the shops/ traders not to stock or use banned single-use plastic items adding that surprise checking would be conducted on regular interval.
The EAC further cautioned that defaulters would be imposed heavy fine even up to the extent of cancellation of trade license.