Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami said in the State Legislative Assembly on Wednesday that the general public and traders have to extend their cooperation in the implementation of the ban against single-use disposable plastic across the State.
The State government has been implementing the ban against 14 specific plastic products since January 2019 and it was “not easy”, he said, while replying to DMK legislator T.M. Anbarasan (Alandur), who raised the issue in the House.
The CM said that officials from the Revenue, Environment and Forest Departments have been conducting raids at various places and have been confiscating banned plastic from their premises. Environment Minister K.C. Karuppanan said about 1,339 tonnes of banned plastic have been recovered from traders during inspections and fines to the tune of ₹6.06 crore had been imposed on them within a year.
When Mr. Anbarasan claimed there was a shortage of staff to clear garbage and that forced some people to burn garbage illegally and dump them in water bodies in the vicinity, Municipal Administration Minister S.P. Velumani said clearance of garbage was a massive exercise as about 19,000 tonnes garbage was generated across the State every day.
