Plastic ban: BBMP to raise awareness

NT Correspondent
Bengaluru

Following the ban on single-use plastics in the state from July 1, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has decided to raise awareness among people about the restrictions before cracking down on violators.

BBMP Special Commissioner (Solid Waste Management) Harish Kumar said that the civic body would focus on IEC (Information, Education and Communication) programmes for the public about the ban on using single-use plastics.

“We cannot impose fines all of a sudden. The Palike had intensified the action on the usage of plastic in the last couple of weeks, but it resulted in clashes between citizens and officials,” he said.

The Special Commissioner also said that the BBMP is expecting an effective implementation of the ban in the city. This is due to the uniformity in regulations brought about by the Central guidelines, he said.

“Earlier, the city used to get banned plastics from other states. Now that the differences in restrictions on plastic are reducing, we can hope to get a lesser amount of banned plastic into the city,” he said.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board guidelines, municipal corporations and local bodies must take steps to reduce the demand for single-use plastics. They have also been instructed to raise awareness and monitor violations digitally