ISLAMABAD: Ministry of Climate Change and Pakistan Environmental Agency (EPA) have started to take action against violators of ban on plastic bags in rural areas of Islamabad.

The decision to ban use of plastic bags was taken after consultations with stakeholders, media awareness campaigns and public education on hazards of single time use of plastic bags in the capital.

An EPA official told this agency that as per government policy, the implementation teams were directed to abstain from fining people like picket vendors, small shop owners and hawkers as a fine of Rs10,000, the penalty on violators of the ban, was unjust on them.

Our teams are visiting two days a week and have started to impose fines on shopkeepers and food outlets for violating the ban, she said.

Teams visited Bhara Kahu and confiscated more than 30kg of plastic bags from various shopkeepers and imposed fine of Rs60,000 on violators, she added.

However, brand outlets and mega shop owners were not spared for violating the ban.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2020