Chhattisgarh to ban use of plastic carry bags from next year

RAIPUR: In a step towards making Chhattisgarh plastic free, the state government has decided to restrict the use of polythene carry bags from next year.

"The state government has decided to declare Chhattisgarh as 'Plastic Carry Bag Free State'. The decision would be implemented from January 1, 2015," an official of urban administration and development department here said.

A draft notification in this context has been issued by the state secretariat on October 30.

Both short-term and long-term consequences of plastics to the environment and its health hazards have been mentioned in the notification, he said.

Plastic carry bags cause blockages in drains and gutters, leading to serious environmental problems, says the notification.

In order to prevent such environmental hazards, the state government has decided to declare Chhattisgarh as a plastic carry bag free zone.

No person, including shopkeepers, retailers, wholesalers, traders, vendors etc, should use plastic carry bags and even no person shall manufacture, store, import, sell or transport plastic carry bag in the state from January 1, 2015 onwards, it said.

The words 'plastic' and 'carry bags' shall have the same meaning as defined under the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011, the notification says.

Containers used for packaging food material, milk and raising plants in the nurseries are not carry bags, it said.

The state government has requested people to send their objections and suggestions regarding the decision within 30 days to principal secretary of state urban administration and development department, the official said.

Subsequently, the government will consider the objections and suggestions received in this regard, he added.