Page 74 - Plastics News October 2018

Kozhikode to ban plastics bag and An app to fine citizens using

disposable cutlery banned plastic items in Bengaluru

he Kozhikode Municipal Corporation is planning to he Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has
Timpose a blanket ban on all disposables including Tdeveloped an in-house app for its health inspectors
cutlery and plastic carry bags irrespective of thickness and medical officers to levy fines on those found to
soon. be using banned plastic items. According to a report
Accordingly, the corporation council on Monday decided in Hindu the civic body is mulling over launching it
to issue notices to owners of as a pilot in two or three wards in a couple of zones
bunk shops on the Kozhikode later this month. According to senior officials, the app
beach.The decision comes will help the health department officials to levy fines
ahead of the corporation’s on the spot. They will be able to take a photo of the
proposed blanket ban on banned item. The civic body had earlier announced
single-use plastic materials that it would procure hand-held devices to levy on-the-
including carry bags. The spot fines. This was towards better implementation of
council also approved the the plastic ban in the city. However, officials admitted
15-member apex committee that there has been a delay in getting these hand-held
and corporation-level high- devices. “It may take a month or so to finalise the
level committee which model that will suit the BBMP’s requirements. Post
were formed to ensure an that, we will have to look at the different price factors
elderly-friendly Kozhikode. and float a tender for procurement,” they said. BBMP’s
The Mayor is the patron of the apex committee. The Special Commissioner (Solid Waste Management) D.
high-level committee comprises the Deputy Mayor, Randeep told The Hindu that since levying fines is an
welfare standing committee chairperson, Corporation important aspect to assess compliance under Swach
Secretary, Social Justice working group chairperson, Sarveskshan, the BBMP is mulling over using the app.
Vayomitram project implementing officer, and Vayomitram The app, he added, still needs a nod from BBMP
coordinator. Earlier, IUML councillor C. Abdurahman
invited the council’s attention to traffic ban on S.M. Street
in the backdrop of reports that the Indian Institute of
Management-Kozhikode would be conducting a survey on
the issue. Mayor Thottathil Raveendran said the survey
would be completed in a month, and that any decision on
the issue would be taken by the council. He added that
claims by merchants that the ban on traffic had adversely
affected business could not be taken at face value. The
councillor had demanded that the views of merchants
also be taken into consideration as part of the survey.
The issue of cattle being hit by trains was raised by JD(U)
councillor P. Kishenchand. He questioned the impounding
of cattle by the corporation’s squad.Health officer R.S.
Gopakumar said it had been withheld. The Mayor said he Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad. While the final
would write to the Railway Divisional Manager in Palakkad aim is to get the hand-held devices to levy fines, the
seeking permission to confiscate cattle wandering on civic body would use the app in the interim. “We feel
railway tracks.Congress councillor M.C. Sudhamani raised the app is a good alternative to have in place, as it is
the issue of missing files and detection of fake signatures more cost effective. At a later point, we may consider
on files passed by the corporation. The Mayor said action integrating the software,” he stated.
had been taken against offenders.

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