Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC) and Pakistan Environmental Agency (EPA) have begun to take action towards violators of ban on plastic bags in rural areas of Islamabad.
Minister MoCC Zartaj Gul informed during media talk that the decision to ban use of plastic bags was taken after discussions with stakeholders, media awareness campaigns and public education on dangers of single time use of plastic bags within the capital.
She told that Earlier, we have been restricted to appeal and warning of the violators in the rural and far-flung areas of the Islamabad.
An EPA official told that the implementation teams were directed as per government policy to withdraw from fining persons like picket vendors, small shop owners and hawkers as a fine of Rs 10,000, the penalty on violators of the ban was unfair on them.
Our teams are visiting various places in Islamabad two days a week and have started executing fines on shopkeepers and food outlets for violating the ban.
she added that teams visited Bhara Kahu and confiscated more than 30 kg of plastic bags from various shopkeepers and imposed fine of Rs 60,000 on violators.
However, brand outlets and mega shop owners were not spared for violating the ban.