A joint team of Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has taken stringent action against the use of single-use plastic at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Full Market. The team seized approximately 500 kg of single-use plastic being used by shops in the market.

The crackdown comes as part of the ongoing efforts to enforce the ban on single-use plastic, which contributes significantly to pollution in the Kalyan-Dombivli region. Municipal Commissioner Dr. Indu Rani Jakhar had earlier directed the Solid Waste Management Department to intensify the campaign against single-use plastic in the area.

Following these directives, a meeting was held last week by Additional Commissioner Harshal Gaikwad, who briefed the sanitation officers, inspectors, and MPCB officials to enforce the anti-single-use plastic campaign across all wards. A special team led by Chief Sanitary Officer Vasant Deglurkar, along with other sanitation officers and MPCB officials, inspected the APMC market, where they discovered and seized a large quantity of plastic waste.

Notably, the team found an extensive amount of single-use plastic at Ramnath Gupta's flower shop in the market, prompting KDMC to propose punitive action against him.

Atul Patil, Deputy Commissioner of the Solid Waste Management Department, emphasized that such materials pose a serious environmental hazard, and the KDMC would continue to intensify efforts to eliminate single-use plastic. He encouraged citizens and business owners to switch to alternative packaging options, such as paper or cloth bags.

The seized plastic was safely disposed of at the 12th plant with the assistance of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board officials. The Municipal Corporation has warned that further violations will result in stricter penalties.