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Ludhiana: Traders block road to protest over challaning drive against plastic items
Traders called for the protest in Ludhiana after the teams issued challans against the violators, alleging that the same were issued against the plastic items which have not been banned in the state.
Chaos was the norm at the Kesar Ganj market after plastic traders on Tuesday blocked the road in the vicinity for over two hours to mark their protest against the joint drive organised against single-use plastic items by municipal corporation (MC), Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
The protest, however, was called off after police intervention.
As per the information, the joint teams issued nine challans in Kesar Ganj mandi and Saban Bazar — recovering a penalty of ₹1.34 lakh from the traders.
Traders called for the protest after the teams issued challans against the violators, alleging that the same were issued against the plastic items which have not been banned in the state.
Alleging the wrongful challans, Kesar Ganj plastic merchant association president Vipan Kataria and general secretary Puneet Makhija They said the state government was trying to finish the entire plastic trade in the state.
“Plastic carry bags were banned by the government and we have stopped trading in the same. But the authorities are issuing challans against the plastic items which have not been banned. This is not acceptable and the state government should intervene to save the plastic industry,” Makhija, adding that the traders would be forced to shut down the units and hand over the keys to the state if the wrongful policies are not checked.
Notably, the MC has struggled to enforce a ban on plastic carry bags and single-use plastic items in the city. While the plastic carry bags have been banned since April 2016, the ban on single-use plastic came into force on July 1.
Traffic movement hit
Commuters in the area, meanwhile, were left harried due to the near-two-hour protest. Police diverted the traffic in a bid to streamline flow, but jams were witnessed due to the narrow roads in the Old City areas.
