New Delhi, 3 July 2022: The Delhi government has urged the centre to revise the GST on the raw materials used to produce things that aren’t made of single-use plastic, said environment minister Gopal Rai on Sunday.
In a meeting, the minister said that it is chaotic and confusing for the people and government agencies to identify the items covered under the ban.
This came after the Delhi government announced that warnings will be issued on the usage of 19 banned SUP items till July 10, after which the repeat offenders will be fined up to Rs 1 lakh or five years jail term or both under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, Gopal Rai said.
To avoid confusion when enforcing the prohibition, he stated, “We will have a training session for our enforcement teams.” If punishment is meted out for using goods that are not prohibited, the government will also establish a helpline number where complaints may be made, according to Rai.
The Delhi government has also planned to develop a website to clear information regarding prohibited SUP items, their substitutes, and the raw materials used to make those substitutes.
They will give focus on creating awareness against SUP items and offer alternatives to people, he concluded. They believed the public needs to be made more informed immediately because many people believe that a ban on SUP items also applies to plastic carry bags.
