Nazim Karachi Syed Mustafa Kamal has said that it was proved from the contemporary study that chemicals produced during the burning process of polythene bags generate germs of cancer, therefore, public health and their collective interest could not be put at stake by allowing sell and use of such bags.
The City Government spend billion of rupees on the health facilities for the citizens while it was also responsible along with providing better medical facilities to take preventive measures to save the public from dangerous diseases, that is why necessary measures had been taken to impose complete ban on polythene bags below 30 micron weight and to under take strict action against the violators, he added.
In a statement on Sunday, the City Nazim had asked the citizens that such measures had been taken in the larger interest of the public to provide safeguard to citizens from harmful things that might caused severe threat to the health of common man, especially those diseases that are not only dangerous but also incurable and very hard to cure for the common men.
Nazim Karachi had noted that a single plastic bag was enough to damage the whole sewerage system of an area as the polythene bag did not dilute for thousand year and remained the main cause of choked sewerage lines. Today 90 percent blocking in storm water drains and damaged sewerage lines were due to these polythene bags, therefore the government could not afford to put the lives of citizens on stake by allowing use of plastic bags openly.
It was therefore duty of the government to take suitable measures to save the public health from injurious things. The city government has initiated strict legal action in this connection. Magistrates of city government would carry out surprised raids on every locality, every business and trade centre, hence, in order to put an end to the plastic bag culture it was also the duty of the public especially traders to stop using plastic bags themselves voluntarily. This would neither affect their business nor harmful to anyone. Therefore it would be more fitting to use bags made of other things as substitute of the polythene bags, he further added.
The City Nazim vowed to free the city from polythene bags. The city government would not take any negligence in this regard but it would be even better a success if the public extend full co-operation to the government. The ban on polythene bags was made keeping in view the public interest therefore the public should themselves take part in it.
Furthermore, magistrates of the city government within five days sent more than 70 people for using plastic bags and for selling milk at prices more than fixed by the government while Rs 1,67,000 thousand fined was also imposed on the violators. In total 59 traders selling their goods in polythene bags were booked. Meanwhile the city government magistrates on Saturday carried out raids in Aligarth market of Orangi Town and arrest owner of Paresia backery Ahsan while owner of Al Sana Store in Saddar Town Nadeem was also arrested.