| Despite ban, polythene bags available at Poonch | | |  M S Nazki
Early Times Report
Poonch, Jan 17: Notwithstanding the tall claims of the administration that it has banned the use of polythene bags in the district, these are freely available in almost every nook and corner of Poonch.
Residents of Poonch, Mendhar, Surankote and Mandi told Early Times that despite an official ban on their use, polythene bags were available in their areas and these "litter the roads and streets".
People could be seen carrying eatables and other items in polythene bags, they claimed, saying almost every shopkeeper in the district had a good stock of polythene bags in their business concerns.
"While they know that polythene bags are not good for our environment, residents and shopkeepers are not willing to stop their use forthwith," they said, adding that the business community must look for alternate carry bags.
When thrown in ponds and other water bodies, the polythene bags could also cause harm to the aquatic animals, they said.
"The sewerage pipes get choked with polythene bags as they are non-biodegradable and cause sewage to overflow, thus becoming an abode of many ailments," they said.
A shopkeeper, not willing to be named, justified the use of polythene bags, saying the customers "don't bring their own bags and ask us for polythene bags. If we stop their use, we are likely to lose customers". |
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