SHADC leads drive in Kpi to phase out SUP
Source: Chronicle News Service

Kangpokpi, July 18 2022: To phase out single-use plastic (SUP) and move toward a plastic-free town, a drive was carried out at Kangpokpi district headquarters on Monday.

The drive was held four days after an awareness programme with licence holders and shopkeepers of town was held at SHADC conference hall.

As part of its concerted effort to curb the use of SUP and commitment to keep a strict vigil on the ban, Sadar Hills Autonomous District Council (SHADC), Kangpokpi led the plastic drive in the town.

The collective drive led by SHADC executive officer (town) Limminthang Haokip, was participated by representatives of Kangpokpi Town Committee and a team of Kangpokpi police led by sub-inspector Raju Singh.

The shop-to-shop drive was held in various market places of the district headquarters including Nute Kailhang, restaurants, hotels, meat vendors, chicken centres, etc.

Interestingly, the teams found almost all the shops have starting to use non-plastic bio-degradable carry bags.

Laudably, some shop owners were seen placing a notice in a pamphlet in front of their shop which read, "Please carry your own bag for shopping, "don't ask for a plastic bag from the shopkeeper" both in English and local dialect.

However, the teams seized a few plastic bags from some shopkeepers and vegetable vendors with a warning that any licence holder shopkeepers/ business establishments found violating, selling and using the single-use plastic again in contravention of the direction of the Manipur Plastic Policy, 2022 shall be punished under Section 15 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.Limminthang Haokip said that with the nationwide ban on single-use plastic coming into effect from July 1, the SHADC is making a concerted effort for effective implementation of the policy by keeping a strict vigil on the ban in Kangpokpi district.

He also informed that for the effective implementation of Manipur Plastic Policy 2022, the SHADC had recently organised a one-day friendly awareness programme with license holder shopkeepers of Kangpokpi district headquarters on 'ban on the use of single-use plastic' .

The SHADC executive officer continued that keeping in mind the harmful effects of single-use plastic on humans and animals and the environment, the shopto-shop drive was initiated by it with the participation of all authorities concerned.

Following the awareness programme held on July 14, most of the shopkeepers and the public are now seen using bags made of non-plastics, he noted.

It is worth recalling that the ban on SUP in the past had failed to yield positive result, and to address the problem the authorities concerned need to embark on an intense awareness programme not only on the harmful effects of plastic use but also for behavioural changes of the public.

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