As the ban on certain single-use plastic (SUP) items kicks in from Friday, State governments will initiate an enforcement campaign and close down units engaging in the production, distribution, stocking and sale of such items, Union Environment Ministry officials said.
The violation of the ban will invite punitive action, including a fine or a jail term or both, detailed under Section 15 of the Environment Protection Act (EPA) and under the bylaws of the respective municipal corporations, they said.
For effective enforcement of the ban, national and State-level control rooms have been set up, and special enforcement teams formed to check the illegal manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of banned SUP items, officials in the Ministry said.
