By IANS
Kolkata : The West Bengal government will ban production of low-grade plastic from Wednesday, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya said Tuesday in a pledge on the World Environment Day.
Bhattacharya urged the state Pollution Control Board (PCB) to come forward with their assistance in formulating an environment-friendly policy.
"We have decided to impose a ban on low-grade plastic production (below 40 micron) in West Bengal. Earlier the ban was only enforced on the usage of plastic products below 20 micron but now the restriction would be applicable on the production also," the chief minister said here while speaking at a function organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
West Bengal minister-in-charge for environment Sailen Sarkar said the state government has also spoken with all the municipalities, district administrations and local police stations to make the ban effective from June 6.
"We have already talked to Indian Plastic Federation (IPF) for implementing the restriction on production of low-grade plastic products in our state," Sarkar said.
Pointing out a number of environmental threats in West Bengal, Bhattacharya called upon the state PCB to come up with a clear policy that can help industries to go hand in hand with environmental protection.
"India is one of the 27 countries in the world which is under serious threat from global warming. And it's also clearly mentioned that the southern part of Sunderbans – the world's largest estuarine delta – will go under water," the chief minister said.
The fast climate change, caused due to the melting down of polar glaciers, will also affect the tropical countries with various diseases and unpredictable weather conditions, he said.
"We have to conserve the water bodies, social forestry and wildlife to keep a balance between industry and environment in the state," he said.