Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisamy, on the World Environment Day, announced a plastic ban scheme in the state Assembly. It was an attempt towards saving the environment in the coming New Year 2019. The scheme banning 14 plastic items was passed by the state government on July 16th. The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has ruled a ban on plastic products which is set to kick in from the new year.
The board will keep a check on the entry of banned plastic products into the state. The banned products include plates, cups, plastic packaging material, foam cups, foam plates and plastic sheets. TNPCB chairman Shambhu Kallolikar said that the board has collaborated with the commercial taxes department and sales tax department to gather information on the possible trucks that will enter the state through the 29 inter-state check posts. He claimed that around 60% of the problem will be solved by keeping a check on the trucks entering from Maharashtra, AP and Gujarat.
Also, the authorities have asked the residents of Chennai to surrender all banned plastic items such as plastic cups, sheets, straws and bags at their respective Corporation Ward Offices on Monday, 31 December. Corporation Commissioner D Karthikeyan held a meeting with the officers from all the corporation departments on Saturday regarding the plastic ban in Chennai. And the move of collecting all the banned plastic items came after the meeting. Also, the corporation will also organize several plastic ban awareness programs. The authorities have also urged the citizens to shift to eco-friendly alternatives such as jute bags, cloth bags, paper cups and straws.