GHMC to hold Anti-Plastic drive till Gandhi Jayanthi

Hyderabad, Sept 19: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation is planning to conduct an Anti-Plastic drive on Monday, which will be taken up until October 2 against the use of plastic covers, as part of the 'Swachh Bharat' mission.

GHMC, which had distributed over two lakh plastic covers, and facilitated distribution of drinking water in plastic sachets on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi and Bakrid festivities, is embarking on a drive to clear the city of plastic covers, especially those with less than 50 microns of thickness.

The Municipal Commissioner has issued directions to the deputy commissioners seeking stringent measures against those using plastic covers less than the prescribed thickness.

The drive will include awareness campaigns by deputy commissioners, medical and veterinary officials, across the city. Shopkeepers will be asked to display banners urging the shoppers to use jute or cloth bags instead of plastic.

The city consumes over 1.4 crore plastic covers every week, and 73 crore covers in a year, the note said. After being discarded, these covers enter the manholes and choke the sewage flow, resulting in overflow of drains, the note said.

The GHMC has so far imposed Rs. 21.51 lakh fines on 2,432 shopkeepers and the drive will intensify such punitive measures. Municipal Commissioner B. Janardhan Reddy, on Monday, visited a chicken shop in Yusufguda and asked the seller to spread awareness against the use of plastic covers.