Mangaluru: The State government has issued a gazette notification banning sale and use of several plastic products in the State. Following the same, Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner A B Ibrahim chaired a meeting to discuss over the enforcement of the new law, on Friday, March 18.

The DC said that while the law till now allowed usage of plastic bags thinner than 40 microns, the new rule brings in blanket ban, irrespective of the thickness and all the Urban Local Bodies and the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board have been directed by the government to enforce the ban.

The DC has given the deadline of March 31 to plastic manufacturers to clear their stocks and inventory. A grace period of additional seven days would be extended to the retailers. All in all blanket ban on plastic will be imposed by April 15.

As per the notification dated March 11 shopkeepers, vendors, wholesalers, retailers, traders and hawkers should not use carry bags, banners, buntings, flexes, flags, plates, and spoons and cups made from plastic. Plastic sheets, table runners and thermocol products too have been banned.

The notification makes it clear that no industry or person should manufacture, supply, store, transport, sell or distribute the products mentioned.

However, exemption has been extended to the plastic used for packing milk and other dairy product, carry bags used for packaging of goods that are sealed right at the manufacturing and processing units, plastic bags and sheets used in forestry and horticulture nurseries and those produced exclusively for export purposes in plastic industries located in special economic zones/ export-oriented units.

Deputy Commissioner directed the MCC to take up awareness drives by distributing paper, jute or cloth bags at free of cost.

Zilla panchayath CEO Shrividya, MCC commissioner Gopalkrishna, ADC Kumar, joint director industries Gokuldas Nayak and others were present at the meeting.