Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena in a review meeting held here today informed regarding the ban on the use of small water bottles up to 500 ml with polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a widely used thermoplastic polymer, particularly known for its use in food and beverage packaging in all the meetings, conferences, programs organized by all the government departments, boards, corporations and other organizations of the government as well as in the hotels of Himachal Tourism Development Corporation and private hotels.
He said that this decision has been taken in view of the damage caused to the environment by the plastic in the state. He obtained detailed information about the steps being taken in this direction from all the concerned departments and also directed to ensure strict compliance towards environmental protection.
He also directed all the concerned departments to increase widespread public awareness in view of this, so that people can be made aware about this. Later, Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena chaired a meeting mandating keeping of garbage bins in public and private transport and taxis in the state.
The state government has made it mandatory to keep garbage bins in all types of tourist vehicles, public and private transport and taxi services. In this regard, Himachal Road Transport Corporation officials informed that garbage bins have been installed in all government buses.
Instructions have also been issued to collect plastic waste during cleaning of buses at bus stands and workshops. Apart from this, necessary steps have also been taken for the collection of plastic waste in HRTC approved dhabas. He also directed the officers of the Transport Department to ensure strict compliance of the guidelines issued regarding garbage bins in private transport taxis including tourist vehicles coming to the state.
The Chief Secretary directed to take necessary steps towards collection of plastic waste in taxi stands as well as in urban and rural areas to the concerned departments, so that the set targets can be achieved. Sh. Saxena also chaired a meeting organized by the Department of Environment, Science, Technology and Climate Change to discuss the current status and various aspects of implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (ERP).
He also issued necessary guidelines in this regard. He said that the State Government is committed to environmental protection and concrete steps are being taken in this direction. He said that successful implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (ERP) will strengthen plastic waste management in the state and will also prove helpful in protecting the environment.
Senior officers of Environment, Science, Technology and Climate Change, Transport, HRTC, Rural Development, Tourism, Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board, Urban Development, Police Department and others were present in the meeting.