Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister (CM), Mahmood Khan, made a historic and green decision to ban polythene bags (plastic shopping bags) in the province.
He announced this at a meeting called to deliberate upon the polythene bags ban and their alternatives while calling for a committee to be established under Minister for Information Shaukat Ali Yousafzai to recommend alternatives to polythene bags. The committee includes Peshawar Commissioner, Peshawar Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) as well as representatives from Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar (WSSP), business community and environment department.
CM Khan pointed towards the need for a comprehensive campaign through print, electronic and social media to raise public awareness in this respect.
Senior Provincial Minister, Shehram Khan Tarakai; Minister for Information, Shokat Yousafzai; Minister for Environment, Ishtiaq Urmer; Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Muhammad Israr; Local Government Secretary; Peshawar CCPO; WSSP CEO and the former president of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce were also present at the meeting and discussed plastic pollution and its hazardous effects on the overall environment.
The ban has been imposed with an aim to reduce environmental pollution and prevent the choking of drains.
Last year, the Sindh government had imposed a similar ban on the manufacture, sale and purchase of non-biodegradable polythene bags and plastic products in the province.
Published in Daily Times, March 8th 2019.