People of Islamabad can now use the City Islamabad app to warn merchants and suppliers that are in breach of the city’s plastic bag prohibition.
Zartaj Gul, the Minister of State for Climate Change, made the announcement at a press conference on Thursday, highlighting the government’s main measures for climate management in the region.
Minister Zartaj Gul clarified that the City Islamabad app now has an autonomous domain that takes users through a step-by-step complaint registration procedure. The complaint is then referred to the appropriate department of the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) as well as the Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC).
اب آپ ایپ کے ذریعے پولیتھین بیگ پر پابندی کی خلاف ورزی رپورٹ کر سکتے ہیں۔
▶️ Now you can facilitate implementation of the polythene bag ban in Islamabad.
Download the App, delivered by NITB, and report on any infringement of the new regulation in Islamabad.#SayNoToPolythene pic.twitter.com/fu328jOiQu
— Zartaj Gul Wazir (@zartajgulwazir) March 18, 2021
A joint raiding party of the MoCC, the ICT government, the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency, the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI), and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has inspected and apprehended over 900 stores, eateries, and factories so far to impose the prohibition, according to the minister.
She went on to say that more than 3.5 tonnes of plastic bags and associated products have been seized, with violators facing penalties of more than Rs. 2.75 million.
The climate has been a hot issue for both government officials and social campaigners after Islamabad’s rules against the usage of plastic bags were introduced almost 16 months ago.
Individuals caught holding plastic bags are subject to a fee of Rs. 5,000, which the government reserves in principle.
To ensure that the prohibition is strictly enforced, retailers and suppliers could face fines of up to Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 100,000, respectively.
