Haryana mulls ban coloured plastic bags

Chandigarh, June 5 (UNI) The Haryana government is planning to ban manufacture of coloured plastic bags in the state to keep the environment free from pollution.

In a message issued here today on the occasion of World Environment Day, state Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the move aimed at saving degradation of land caused due to indiscriminate disposal of plastic carry bags, especially the coloured carry bags generally of less than 20 microns, as these were manufactured out of hospital waste and other such areas.

He said all polluting industrial units have been persuaded by the Haryana Pollution Control Board to instal pollution control devices and 6,510 such devices had already been installed.

A financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh has been provided to Urban Development Department for installation of Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) for slaughter houses. Farmers were also being sensitised on environment issues like refraining from burning paddy straw in open fields. He said that 2850 eco clubs have been set up in schools to involve school children for creating awareness about pollution free environment.

The Board has simplified the procedure for grant of consent or No objection Certificate and issuing consent for longer period ranging from two years to ten years instead of one year earlier.

Mr Hooda said powers to grant consent to operate have been decentralised.

The remote sensing study was being got conducted from Haryana Remote Sensing Application Centre, Hisar for mapping of Aravali hills area in Gurgaon and Faridabad districts and river bed mining in Yamuna in Yamunanagar district.

He said that small scale green category of industries which were not covered under policy notification of the Pollution Control Board dated July 24, 1998, were no longer required to obtain no objection certificate from the Haryana State Pollution Control Board.

UNI MA JN PA KN1731