Zubair Qureshi
The climate experts and concerned citizens have urged the government authorities to take inclusive measures for the implementation of a ban on the manufacturing, distribution, selling and use of the plastic bags.
They expressed these views while participating in a webinar organized to mark the second anniversary of the ban on plastic bags.
The Islamabad Capital Administration had imposed a ban on plastic bags on August 14, 2019 however the ban after remaining effective for some time is now being violated openly.
At vegetable and fruit shops, grocery stores, shopping bags are being used openly while the ICT administration and the quarters concerned to implement the ban are playing a role of silent spectators.
A policy without implementation is a total failure of the government departments. Not only the ban on plastic shopping bags turned out to be a joke, it speaks aloud about vigour and implementation capacity of the government departments.
Development Communications Network (Devcom-Pakistan) and DTN had organized the webinar to review the state of implementation of ban on the manufacturing, distribution, selling and use of the shopping bags in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) two years after.
The absence of government representatives reflected the level of their concerns on eliminating the plastic shopping bags.
They recommended paid-volunteerism for the engagement of citizens and youth in the implementation of the ban by promising some incentives to them.
The Ministry of Climate Change (MOCC), Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) and the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICTA) in collaboration with the environmental groups in the federal capital shall develop a mechanism to actively engage stakeholders for the success of the ban on shopping bags.
