PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) plastic squad is in full swing with plastic ban raids, especially during the festive season and they have been confiscating plastic items which are included in the plastic ban.

Recently, the squad confiscated non-woven plastic bags, which are banned. They were sold on Laxmi Road by five garment shops. Sanitary Inspector of PMC, Shahu Pokale, said, “On a daily basis, we check in each area whether plastic items are being sold which are banned according to State government’s GR on plastic ban.”

Pokale said, “On October 20, we collected almost 700 kg of non-woven plastic bags from five garment shops on Laxmi Road. Initially, we checked 30 shops on Laxmi Road and out of these, in five garment shops we found non-woven plastic bags being sold. A dine of Rs 5,000 each was imposed on them.”

“Another such raid was carried out on October 16 at Raviwar Peth, where three truckloads of thermocol were confiscated from a shop owner,” Pokale added.

Pune Municipal Corporation’s Deputy Commissioner Madhav Jagtap said, “Every day we carry out raids on commercial shops located in the city. After collecting banned plastic items, we make revised derived fuel out of them and then use it accordingly.”