'Sindh govt doesn’t intend to act against polythene bag makers'

KARACHI: “Sindh government does not intend to take any action against manufacturers of polythene bags that could lead to the shutdown of their industry and render thousands of people jobless,” the provincial minister for environment said.

On the floor of Sindh Assembly, Taimur Talpur, Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Coastal Development Mohammad, told lawmakers that the Pakistan Peoples Party-led provincial government would not act against polythene bag makers as it did not want to take away jobs from people.

The minister was answering lawmakers’ queries during Question Hour in the provincial assembly.

Nevertheless, Talpur assured that efforts were underway to persuade plastic bag manufacturers to use biodegradable material.

“The idea of replacing polythene bags with paper bags was not practical,” he said.

Last year, Sindh government had decided to impose a ban on the manufacture, sale and purchase of non-biodegradable polythene bags and plastic products in the province.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government also issued orders on March 7 to impose a ban on the use of polythene bags in the province.

The use of plastic shopping bags causes environmental pollution as well as choking of drains. Overall, the use of plastic has become a major reason of causing hazardous effects on the entire ecological system.