Panaji: Although a ban on single-use plastics is in force in the country from July 2022, its enforcement, however, is slack in Goa, with tonnes of plastic waste littered on the beaches and in public areas in the state.
This may change in the New Year, as Goa is likely to go ahead with effective implementation of the ban on single use plastics (SUP), with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) asking the states to set up task force committees at the district and city levels.
The directive by the CPCB is intended to enforce the prohibitory order on banned plastic items under the Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules, 2016. The CPCB has said that henceforth a state’s Chief Secretary or the Principal Secretary will be responsible for enforcement of the provisions of PWM Rules.
Further, for effective monitoring of the ban, states must regularly update on the SUP compliance monitoring portal, the number of inspection drives undertaken to identify manufacturers and suppliers of banned SUP items, and take strict action against the violating entities. The SUP compliance monitoring portal of CPCB provides details on the number of inspections conducted by the state pollution control boards, the municipal corporations, etc.
The portal tabulates the quantity of SUP items seized and the fines collected. However, several states including Goa, Telangana, Odisha, Punjab and Kerala, among others, have not updated information on the portal.
The CPCB has asked the state pollution control boards to submit a report on the implementation of the rules by July 31, every year.
A national task force meeting was held last month by the Ministry of Environment wherein the states have been directed to conduct a campaign from the current month to February 2026 to enforce the ban on single use plastics and carry bags below the requisite microns.
States have been directed to specifically focus on street vendors, local shops, markets, bus deports, railway stations, airports and other crowded locations during inspections.
The task force has asked the states to provide details on action taken against defaulters, viz. issue of challans, fines, cancellation of permits, etc.
States have been also told to promote the use of SUP Public Grievances app for citizens to register their complaints on ban violation. The complaints must be addressed within seven days.
The PWM Rules forbid single use plastics such as straws, ear buds, plastic sticks for balloons, knives, forks, spoons etc., as well as the usage of plastic packaging below 120 microns.
According to the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB), the 15-odd plastic bag manufacturing units in the state are fully compliant with the PWM Rules. However, lower-micron plastic bags as well as SUP regularly arrive from outside the state.
