Agartala: Tripura government has stepped up surveillance to prevent the entry of single-use plastic in the state, the production, sale, and use of which was banned in India last month.
According to estimation, Tripura is generating about 20 MT of plastic waste every day but is not able to manage such a huge amount of non-degradable waste. Although there is a claim and plans in the paper that waste is being segregated at the source and re-check at the Ward level secondary segregation centers in Agartala, as of now it has not been implemented.
The state government has issued direction to the authorities of Akhaura Integrated Check-post at Bangladesh border and Churaibari inter-state Check-post along Assam border to tighten surveillance on single-use plastic carry bags, as neither Tripura is manufacturing such items not doing business with the products but only using.
The Secretary of Science and Technology Pradip Chakraborty said the administration has been raiding the markets regularly to find out the stock of such products and finding whoever stocks, sale, and use. However, it has become necessary to raise awareness among the users about carrying bags and single-use plastic, which would be launched state-wide very soon.
Meanwhile, the trader groups and civil society organizations criticized the government for banning single-use plastic and they argued, “The decision was immature and half-hearted. Single-use plastic doesn’t comprise only carry bags, which the administration misconceives without realizing their failure in the management of such products.”
“The government undertaking Gomati Milk Producers Union is selling hundreds of milk packets every morning and evening to every house, branded edibles and cosmetics are wrapped with single used plastic, medicines and maximum household item are coming in a single-use plastic wrapper, but the government is not concern about those hazards and menace. The policy should address the issues and bring easily available user-friendly substitutes of single-use plastic before enforcing such a law,” said a Merchant association official here.
