Clampdown on banned plastic products continues in Nilgiris

Nilgiris district Collector inspects Coonoor market for banned plastic products, imposes fines on violators, conducts awareness campaigns.

The Nilgiris district Collector, Lakshmi Bhavya Tanneeru, conducted an inspection of shops in the Coonoor market area in the Nilgiris on Saturday (February 15, 2025), to check whether the stores were selling or using banned plastic products and packaging.

The Nilgiris district administration said that the surprise inspection was carried out by the Collector, along with officials from the Coonoor Municipality and Revenue Department. The two departments were conducting regular checks on businesses to ensure they complied with the plastic ban in the Nilgiris, the press release added.

Awareness campaigns were organised for merchants about the need to not use plastic packaging and to not sell banned plastic products, it added. Vehicles entering the Nilgiris at all border checkposts were being stopped and checked to ensure they were not carrying banned plastic products.

Efforts were also being undertaken to ensure that these checks were carried out even during the evenings and nights, while buses entering the district were mandated through the regional transport office to have install dustbins.

Inspections were also carried out in Udhagamandalam on Saturday, where officials seized banned plastic products and single-use water bottles from various businesses. They imposed a fine of ₹51,400 on businesses found guilty of violating the ban.