MoCC-EPA team, officers roughed up in Blue Area

Food outlet management scuffles with officials seizing plastic bags

ISLAMABAD: A team of Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), accompanied by two senior officers, out to implement ban on plastic bags was roughed up by staff and management of a food chain outlet in Blue Area on Tuesday.

MoCC has kicked-off action against shops and businesses using plastic shopping bags in federal capital after the August 14 deadline.

However, the process was not going smoothly for the teams as they were facing resistance from people used to single use plastic shoppers for nearly four decades now.

In one such incident a MoCC team led by Joint Secretary Hammad Shamimi and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Director General Farzana Altaf came for inspection at a famous food outlet in Blue Area.

The restaurant management resisted the team and soon arguments turned into a scuffle. The management and staff of the food outlet pushed and shoved the officers and officials of MoCC and EPA.

EPA DG Farzana Altaf told The Express Tribune that they had already issued notices to the restaurant about Tuesday’s visit, but still the resisted inspection.

She said the management stopped them from confiscating their labeled plastic bags and during activity, pushed and abused them. DG told that management also stopped media from coverage and snatched the cameras.

Farzana claimed that the person who assaulted them was a leader of traders in Blue Area. She expressed that the suspects did not like to follow any law.

Further, the ministry’s spokesperson said that teams conducted action in Blue Area under clean and green Pakistan campaign. He added that the MoCC and EPA team imposed heavy fine on a famous restaurant using plastic bags and warned that next time, it would be sealed if it continued using plastic.

According to spokesperson, the said restaurant was issued a warning two days ago to follow plastic bag ban, and its non-implementation led to the raid.

He told that ministry had formed teams which were going area to area, distributing alternative cloth bags to shopkeepers while they were also carrying out action against those still using plastic bags. He said that main Sunday bazaar in Sector H-9 was also being inspected in this regard.

Earlier on Monday, A special team of the MoCC backed by police and ICTA team confiscated around 2.5 million plastic bags. The team, comprising officials of ICTA, ministry, and EPA, raided many shops and big stores in G-9 Markaz (Karachi Company) seizing about 160 kg of polythene bags, besides issuing notices to the owners warning of heavy fines in case of violation of ban in future, a ministry press release said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 21^st, 2019.