PESHAWAR: The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has tightened the environmental protection law to impose complete ban and regulate polythene bags and related plastic products in order to make them environment friendly.
For the purpose, the provincial government has amended the KP Environmental Protection Act, 2014. The Amended Act covers all those products, not covered under Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA and Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) that required general environmental approval have also been brought under the ambit of the Environmental Protection Act.
In this connection, an amendment bill has already been passed by the provincial legislature and after getting assent from the Provincial Governor will become a law.
Under the amendments, there shall be a complete ban on the manufacturing, import, sale, purchase, storage, distribution, supply, transportation and usage of plastic bags, flat plastic bags, with or without handles or gussets and such other plastic products as the Environment Department may notify from time to time.
Similarly, under the reformed act of law, the manufacturers, wholesale dealers and retailers are required to dispose of the existing stock of banned plastic products with a period of six months.
After the promulgation of the amended law, any license or permit, issued to any person for the manufacturing, sale, transportation, import, etc., under any law, for the time being enforce, shall cease to be effective and the holder of any such license or permit shall not commence or carry on business of the banned plastic products.
After the expiry of the deadline of six months, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in its own or an officer of government or government agency authorized by government in this behalf, may seize all banned plastic products, after giving the person a notice, in writing, responsible for the violation of the provisions of the Sub-Section (1) of the Act.
Under the Act, whoever manufactures, imports, sales, purchases, stores, distributes, supplies, transports and use banned plastic bags shall be punishable with fine which may extend to Rs.0.5 million.
Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, any contravention punishable under the Act shall exclusively be triable by Special Magistrate (Appointed under Section 14A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 (Act v of 1898), on a complaint, in writing made by the EPA, or an officer, or any government agency duly authorized in this behalf by the government.
In case of the repetition of the violation, the person, who violates shall be liable to imprisonment which may extend to one month, in addition to the fine imposed upon him, and shall be triable by Environmental Magistrate empowered under this Act.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022