Will ensure ban on single-use plastic, promise ministers

Kolkata: In a sweeping mandate on World Environment Day, the state govt announced a strict, statewide enforcement of the ban on single-use plastics, permitting only plastic bags with a thickness of 120 microns or more.

Municipal and urban development minister Agnimitra Paul on Friday directed officials to stringently implement the national regulation across all urban local bodies. Simultaneously, panchayat and rural development minister Dilip Ghosh confirmed that the enforcement will extend across all rural regions, creating a unified front against a major ecological threat.

Plastics notoriously choke civic drains, accumulate on riverbeds, and drift into oceans to form massive marine “dead zones.” Experts warn this debris becomes exceptionally hazardous during sea-level rises that lead to urban inundation. To curb this, the administration is also mulling strict anti-littering laws to halt the indiscriminate dumping of plastic waste.

The announcement coincided with an environmental dialogue held at the Press Club, organized by EnGIO, The Plurals, and the West Bengal Environment Journalists’ Platform. Speaking at the event, minister Swapan Dasgupta lamented past administrative oversights that ravaged Bengal’s premier green assets, including the Sundarbans, East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW), Rabindra Sarobar, and the Kolkata Tramway.

“Some small errors have caused immeasurable damage,” Dasgupta stated, calling for a concerted effort between the administration and an alert citizenry to undo the harm.

He cited critical ecological missteps, noting how the construction of the Lake Gardens flyover permanently severed the vital link between Rabindra Sarobar and the Adi Ganga, stopping natural tidal replenishment and forcing reliance on expensive dredging. He also flagged the rampant encroachment of the EKW and the suspension of tram operations to sell depot lands for real estate.