The drive against manufacturers of polythene bags will begin from November 1 and a team will be formed in this regard.
Dr Farhina Ahmed, secretary to the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, made these remarks while speaking as the chief guest at a discussion with members of the Shantinagar Market Committee and traders in Dhaka on Saturday.
She said the team will consist of the officials from the Department of Environment, the Directorate of National Consumers' Rights Protection, the Directorate of Food, and district magistrates.
She said that despite the ban being in place for 22 years, the use of polythene has persisted. Polythene is harmful to public health, it increases risk of cancer, and so for the protection of public health and the environment, the ban on polythene must be enforced strictly.
She urged both sellers and consumers to refrain from using these harmful bags and to switch to eco-friendly alternatives. The meeting was held to address the issue of banning the use of polythene shopping bags, which have been officially prohibited from October 1.
The meeting was presided over by Mujibul Haque, president of the Shantinagar Market Committee, while Dr Fahmida Khanam, additional secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Siddhartha Shankar Kundu, deputy secretary, Abdullah Al Mamun, deputy director of the Department of Environment, and Lokman Hossain Fakir, general secretary of the Market Committee, were present, among others.
Meanwhile, after the meeting, Dr Farhina along with other officials visited various shops in the Shantinagar market, encouraged traders to increase the use of alternative, environmentally friendly bags.