ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul on Wednesday said the ban on use of plastic shopping bags would soon be imposed in Punjab as well.
While addressing a news conference in Islamabad, the state minister expressed the commitment to fully enforce the ban imposed on use of plastic shopping bags in the Federal Capital.
The state minister said Pakistan would be made plastic free as the ban on plastic bags in the Federal Capital turned into a countrywide campaign. She said other provinces were also showing the intent and commitment to make their districts plastic free.
Zartaj Gul said the ban would be implemented with the cooperation of the people including the civil society and the food chains.
14اگست سے اسلام آباد میں پلاسٹک بیگز پر پابندی لگا دی گئی ہے۔پنجاب میں بھی جلد پابندی لگائی جارہی ہے۔پلاسٹک بیگز پابندی مہم عوام کے تعاون کے بغیر ممکن نہیں۔حکومتی رٹ چیلنج کرنے والوں کیساتھ سختی سے نمٹاجائے گا۔وزیر مملکت ماحولیاتی تبدیلی زر تاج گل کی نیوز کانفرنس@zartajgulwazir pic.twitter.com/GJEoG9y4rN
— PTV News (@PTVNewsOfficial) August 21, 2019
The minister of state regretted the incident that took place yesterday with a food chain of the Federal Capital.
It is worth mentioning there that on Tuesday, as the team of Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) led by its Director General Ms. Farzana Altaf went to the famous food outlet Savour Foods in Blue Area Islamabad to inspect the ban on plastic bags, its staff manhandled the inspection team and utterly refused to comply with ban orders.
Resultantly, Savour Foods was sealed in addition to the imposition of a fine of Rs 200,000 by the Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Muhammed Hamza Shafqaat.
Savour Foods,the staff said they will not stop using plastic bags and started misbehaving and man handling the govt officials.
Finally they are given 200,000 PKR fine and the restaurant is sealed by DC Administration Islamabad.#SayNoToPlasticBags pic.twitter.com/VYgbUo5kGi
— Zartaj Gul Wazir (@zartajgulwazir) August 20, 2019
Zartaj Gul said the Islamabad administration and the officials of the Ministry Of Climate Change were not acting on personal capacity but they had been fully authorized to ensure implementation of the ban on plastic bags.
