In what can be described as a decisive move towards banning all single-use plastics in Kohima, the Kohima District Task Force carried out a checking and confiscation of single-use plastic in the city on Friday.
The task force, comprising members from the district administration and various other departments and NGOs, conducted the checking exercise with the objective of sensitising the general public on the total ban imposed on all single-use plastic products.
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It also aimed to restrict all shops within the Kohima jurisdiction from selling and using plastic bags, mineral water bottles below two litres, Styrofoam cups and plates, plastic cups, forks and spoons and a number of other single-use non-biodegradable plastic products.
It conducted the exercise with its members divided into four teams, each covering different areas and was assisted by various public organisations.
The teams also distributed paper bags and even approached pedestrians and shoppers using plastic bags and made them aware of the ban imposed and handed out paper bags as replacement for their plastic bags.
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A large number of shops were caught selling the banned single use plastic products.
The erring shopkeepers were let off with a formal warning and no fines were levied but the banned products were confiscated by the team for disposal.
Future defaulters would be facing more severe penalties which would involve fines and even cancellation of trade licenses, sources said.