ISLAMABAD - Islamabad capital city administration has started action against use of plastic bags in the city which would continue for the several weeks to come.
According to the officials at the district administration, the action is part of a massive crackdown after ‘soft campaign’ on the issue was over.
A day earlier, representatives of city administration visited different markets and imposed fine on the shopkeepers still offering plastic bags to the shoppers. “Action has started against plastic bags in the city. All ACs/SDMs stayed in field and enforced plastic bags ban regulations,” said Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat. He said 10 shops have been sealed and a fine of Rs0.3 millliom has been imposed collectively on the shopkeepers. Besides this, he said, all the plastic bags have been confiscated. According to the officials, Hafiz Rice Traders, AR Cash & Carry were among the shops which were fined. The administration started a campaign against use of plastic bags in the city some months backs which was actually a mass awareness phase. As the ‘soft campaign’ gets over now, the authorities have decided to take stricter measures to implement the regulations banning use of plastic bags.
According to a survey, the bags are back in Itwar Bazaar in sector H-9 and other smaller markets of the city after the shopkeepers had started observing ban followed by the first phase of the campaign.
Every stall in H-9 Bazaar is offering plastic bags to the customers. They just hide it on one side and keep giving it to customers.
Same is the case with shopkeepers at other markets of the city. The government has been striving to make the city pollution free of which plastic bags is a major cause.