Collective efforts needed to ban single-use plastic: PCB chief

Hans India

5 days ago

Kurnool: Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) Chairman and retired IAS officer Dr P Krishnaiah has called for a comprehensive and coordinated effort among all departments to ensure effective implementation of the single-use plastic ban across the district.
Addressing a review meeting at the Kurnool Collectorate alongside district collector P Ranjith Basha, Dr Krishnaiah emphasised that the ban must be enforced in full by October 2.
Dr Krishnaiah underlined the severe environmental threat posed by single-use plastics, urging officials to intensify enforcement particularly in densely populated urban areas such as municipal markets, hospitals, temples, shopping complexes, and public venues.
He directed municipal commissioners and enforcement wings to initiate strict measures and promote alternatives such as cloth, jute and biodegradable bags. He also called on MEPMA and the Handlooms and Textiles Department to mobilise women's self-help groups for the production of eco-friendly alternatives.
In alignment with the government's vision, Dr Krishnaiah recalled that Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has been actively promoting the 'Swarnandhra – Swachhandhra' initiative through his regular participation in field-level activities every third Saturday of the month.
'The Chief Minister's involvement reflects the high priority the government places on cleanliness and environmental sustainability,' he noted, urging officials to treat the plastic ban as a flagship mission under the Chief Minister's agenda for a cleaner Andhra Pradesh.
Collector P Ranjith Basha informed that awareness programmes have been underway since June 5 and that multi-department task force committees - comprising police, revenue, municipal, commercial tax, and APPCB officials - have been formed to monitor and enforce compliance.
He confirmed that the district aims to achieve complete prohibition of single-use plastics by the October 2 deadline. The meeting was attended by APPCB EE Kishore Reddy, Kurnool Municipal Commissioner Vishwanath, Mining DD Ravichand, DSO Raghuveer, DPO Bhaskar, DTC Shanta Kumari, and other senior officials.