Statesman News Service
MALDA, Dec 10: The Malda Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce has decided not to pay a fine charged against 30 traders for allegedly using plastic carry bags for business, violating norms of the state pollution control board. The Malda pollution control board officials had launched a special drive on 25 August and identified 30 traders who were selling plastic carry bags, which was below 30-micron thickness in the market and registered cases against them. The officials had claimed spot fine from Rs 2,000 to Rs 10,000 from retailers to whole sellers. Today the PCB officials are still continuing their drive in English Bazaar market places. Two medicine traders today sought help from the MMCC who were charged fine for using carry bags to deliver medicine in the interest of customers. On Saturday the MMCC members met Mr Sailen Sarkar, the environment minister, in Malda and requested them to organise awareness campaign before banning plastic bags. According to the MMCC district secretary Mr Jayanta Kundu: “We have also requested the minister to follow governor’s direction systematically. The direction given by the PCB officials is very difficult to follow for the retail traders here”. Mr Kundu said: “The PCB officials directed that traders would have to print the name of manufacturer and its address in each carry bag. “The size of each carry bag has been specified to maintain 12 inch by 16 inch size and its weight will be more than 10 gram with below 40 micron thickness of plastic”. “A retail trader is not in a position to print manufacturers’ name and address in each carry bag. The PCB should pay special attention in the manufacturing units from where carry bags are being supplied”, Mr Kundu said. “We will not pay the fine now”, he said.
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