Delhi Government issues a helpline number for queries about the plastic ban

Delhi: To make the already imposed nationwide plastic ban more effective, the Delhi government has created a toll-free helpline number 011-23815435 for all citizens who have queries related to the ban. The number was announced by Gopal Rai, Delhi Environment Minister, during a recent press conference.

To know how effective the ban has been and what response the new helpline number is getting, we called up the helpline number. They informed us that ordinary people and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) are calling and complaining about those who are still manufacturing plastic bags and have a large stock of plastic bags. According to the information gathered, the small street vendors are still using the banned items. On average, the department gets 23-25 calls a day, with complaints about such vendors.

They also informed us that from December 31, 2022, the ministry will gradually phase out the use of plastic bags nationwide that are less than 120 microns thick. They told us that a heavy fine will be imposed on those violating the rules. "People in the control room are collecting data so that the government can take further action and raise awareness," they informed.

To combat plastic pollution, the Government of India banned single-use plastic, effective from July 1, 2022. The Centre has prohibited the manufacture, distribution, importation, sale, storage, and use of several single-use plastic products, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene products.