The Chennai Corporation has collected Rs 45 lakh as fine from violators of the plastic ban enforced by the government of Tamil Nadu. According to reports, this amount has been collected in less than a month since the Corporation announced the penalty amounts.
It was announced in June that those who don’t comply with the plastic ban regulations of the state government will be levied a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh. The fine, which is levied in four categories, will be imposed if the Corporation officers find plastic in shops during their searches.
For first time offenders, the fine amount will be lesser than what will be levied on repeat offenders. If any industrial unit is found storing, supplying, transporting, selling and distributing single-use plastics, the fine for first time offence is Rs 25,000. If the same unit is found violating the law again, the penalty will be increased to Rs 50,000 and Rs 1 lakh if the unit commits the offence a third time. If the industrial unit is found not complying with the ban orders a fourth time, their trade licence will be cancelled.
The fine amount ranges between Rs 10,000 and Rs 20,000 for malls, supermarkets and kalyana mandapams depending on the repetition of offences.
Similar penalties have been specified for smaller commercial establishments and street vendors. While the penalty amount for smaller commercial establishments varies between Rs 1,000 and Rs 5,000, for street vendors the fine amount ranges from Rs 100 to Rs 500.
Since January 1, when the plastic ban in the state came into force, more than 250 tonnes of banned plastic items have been seized by the Corporation officials.