TURA: The plastic menace continues unabated in the towns and weekly markets of Garo Hills despite the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directive to curtail and, if possible, completely ban the use of plastic bags.
West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Ram Singh, on the directive of the NGT, asked traders to curtail the use of plastic bags and the consumers were encouraged to bring with them their own carry bags during marketing.
“But sadly plastic bags are still in use in Tura and other towns. To help curb this problem and as per the NGT norms, we are moving for solid waste management in Shillong, Tura and Jowai,” informed the deputy commissioner.
During Tura’s Saturday-weekly market day, piles of garbage, particularly used plastic bags, are found strewn all over the marketing site at Najing bazaar, Kabul bazaar, Nakham bazaar and main market, and it has not started to even pose a pollution threat to new market zones at Rongkhon bridge and Chandmari’s KA road where petty traders from the villages tend to leave it behind.
Plastic bottles and bags are being found abundantly in the Gandrak stream that passes through Chandmari market and even at some places in the Rongkhon stream due to lack of public awareness on the burning issue of plastic pollution.
