PESHAWAR: Vice Chairman of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Board of Investment and Trade and former President of KPCCI, Senator Mohsin Aziz hailed the provincial government decision regarding imposition of ban on manufacturing and use of polythene shopping bags, and termed the move could help to promote eco-friendly environment and prevention of health hazards.
He, this stated, while presiding over a meeting at the board office here on Wednesday. Aziz said the usage of plastic bags create visual pollution problem, and can have harmful effects on aquatic and terrestrial animals. He said provincial government is keenly working to reduce the environmental impact of plastic bags. He maintained the recent decision is showing serious commitment towards this serious issue.
However, he stressed everyone shared some responsibility for this problem from plastic bag manufacturers and importers who sell the bags, shopkeepers who give them away and the customers who use them. It is up to all of us to find the solution, Aziz said.
The board vice chairman reminded he had presented a resolution in upper house of parliament, seeking ban on manufacturing and use of polythene shopping bags, which was unanimously endorsed by the house in last month.
Senator Mohsin Aziz urged that the all federating units should also impose ban on manufacturing and use of plastic bags to overcome with growing environmental problems and hazards to human life. “Ideally, polythene bags should not be used as they are hazardous to environment, he maintained.
Under a comprehensive plan, he informed that a culture of not using plastic bags should be promoted in the province.
In view of the worsening global climatic conditions and the challenges they pose, he said provincial government had already launched planting billion saplings of which over 250 million were being planted this year. It was pertinent to mentioning that a large number of polypropylene bags are locally manufactured and used on routine basis in the province, posing great deal of health hazards
