NOIDA/GHAZIABAD: The district authorities and officials of the UP Pollution Control Board are exploring options to dispose of the 7,000kg of polythene bags and other goods that have been seized over the past five days following the statewide ban on plastic Officials said more such seizures were expected over the next two months. As of now, Ghaziabad has accounted for a major part of the plastic haul, with three godowns filled with polythene bags sealed.“We will either send the seized plastic to recyclers or to other agencies for converting them to material for construction of roads,” a senior official of the UPPCB said.AK Tiwari, the regional officer of UPPCB, iterated the need for closing down supplying agencies. “The operation has become concentrated. We are trying to crack down on unorganised manufacturers so that we can stop production. The idea is to stop polythene from reaching the market,” he said.The two districts of Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad have seized 7,000kg of plastic bags in total over the past five days. While Rs 72 lakh has been collected in fines in Ghaziabad, a manufacturing hub, Noida has contributed Rs 2.25 lakh in fines.“The state government will restrict the use of plastic. The alternatives currently are in the form of cloth bags, paper bags and other biodegradable material. Plastic manufacturers have to find it viable to produce eco-friendly material. The ultimate solution will come from the citizens themselves,” said Gautam Budh Nagar city magistrate Mahendra Singh.The UPPCB has also got cracking on polluting factories in Ghaziabad, sealing at least 500 units running illegally between April and June in Loni.Officials said that while regular checks and control on illegal and polluting factories in the district were being conducted regularly, the latest was by far the strictest. The number of factories sealed was mentioned in a report the UPPCB filed to the state government on July 11.The report mentioned that the factories that were sealed had been mostly operating without licence and producing highly polluting products such as paints and denim dye.“These factories had been operating illegally. Over the past three months, we have been able to seal them and cut off power supplies, which, too, they had been sourcing illegally. The data of this entire operation was collated and submitted on July 11,” UPPCB officer Tiwari said.Sources said the UPPCB had shut down 1,500 illegal factories in Ghaziabad over the past one year.

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