Mumbai: 1 ton plastic seized, Rs 3.75L fine collected on Mon

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Monday seized 1029 kgs of plastic from shopkeepers and traders and recovered Rs 3.75 lakh in fines during a special drive against single-use plastic, of which 725 kgs was from a single stockist in Masjid Bunder area, an official said.

The BMC, which aims to make the metropolis free of single use plastic from May 1, started the drive from Saturday, and over 4,000 shops were checked on Monday, he said.

On the first day of the drive on Saturday, the civic body had fined 11 persons and collected Rs 55,000 fine. Since June, 2018, the BMC has seized 86,000 kg of plastic and recovered Rs 4.65 crore in fines. A BMC statement said Rs 5000 will be the fine if one is found using the prohibited plastic for the first time, while it will be Rs 10,000 if one is caught for a second time. Anyone caught for a third time will have to pay a fine of Rs 25,000 and can also be jailed for three months, it said.

READ: Mumbai: BMC Set To Ban Single-use Plastic From May 1