Manipur Pollution Control Board confiscates banned plastic items, warns strict punishment

After Manipur government had officially announced the ban on single use plastic products below 120 micron some months back, a massive drive was carried out in Imphal city on April 17 in which several such plastic items were seized and a shop was also sealed for defying the government order. 

The drive was carried out by a team of Manipur Pollution Control Board official led by its chairman Usham Deben with Imphal West district police in MG Avenue area in Thangal Keithel. 

The officials seized several plastic items which government already announced their use as illegal. Some of them are water bottles of 500 ml and 750 ml capacity along with single use plastic containers and bags below 120 microns. 

One of the shops who sell plastic products denied the confiscation of such illegal items. The team had found that 70 per cent of materials that have been sold are banned items. Accordingly, MPCC officially sealed the shop. 

Addressing media at the side-lines of the drive, chairman of MPCC, Usham Deben said that state government had taken up the step of banning sing use plastic to have safe environment in future. 

However, without support and cooperation, it wouldn’t be possible to achieve the target of this initiative. As such people should stop using banned plastic items which will degrade environment instead depend on environment friendly products.

He informed that the drive will continue in future and warned of taking strict legal action against shop owners and people who defy order of banning single used plastic items. People defying the ban will be charged a fine of Rs 5 lakh or put behind bars.

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