Navi Mumbai: In a determined drive to make the city plastic-free, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has stepped up its crackdown on single-use plastic. The civic body has seized over 200 kilograms of banned plastic items and collected fines amounting to ₹1.4 lakh. Anti-plastic squads have been deployed across all ward offices, along with two additional teams operating independently in each municipal zone to ensure stricter enforcement.
“While public awareness campaigns are ongoing, parallel preventive inspection drives have been launched,” Municipal Commissioner Dr. Kailas Shinde.
Between June 1 and June 20, the civic body took action against 27 shops and commercial establishments found violating the plastic ban. A total of ₹1.4 lakh in fines has been collected, and approximately 214.7 kilograms of banned plastic materials, including plastic bags and other single-use items, have been seized.
Inspections across various wards have yielded notable results. In Belapur, a shopkeeper was fined ₹5,000, and 1 kg of plastic was confiscated. In Nerul, the use of banned plastic led to a ₹5,000 fine and the seizure of 1.5 kg of plastic. Two shopkeepers in Vashi were fined ₹10,000 in total, with 2 kg of plastic being seized. In Koparkhairane, four shops were penalized with fines totaling ₹20,000, and officials seized a significant 129 kg of plastic.
Further action in Ghansoli led to the recovery of 6 kg of plastic and ₹10,000 in fines from two shopkeepers, while in Digha, ₹5,000 was fined and plastic weighing 3 grams was confiscated from a single establishment.
Zone-level flying squads have also played a crucial role. The squad from Zone 1 collected ₹15,000 in penalties and seized 1.8 kg of plastic bags from three businesses. The Zone 2 flying squad took strict action against 13 establishments, collecting ₹70,000 in fines and confiscating 73.1 kg of single-use plastic.
These actions were carried out under the leadership of Additional Commissioner Sunil Pawar, along with Zone 1 Deputy Commissioner Somnath Potre, Solid Waste Management Deputy Commissioner Dr. Ajay Gadade, and Zone 2 Deputy Commissioner Sanjay Shinde, with the support of Assistant Commissioner Smita Kale. Their coordinated efforts have led to a significant outcome in just 20 days.
The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation has announced that such enforcement drives will continue regularly. Citizens have been urged to stop the use of plastic bags and single-use plastic items in their daily lives and instead adopt cloth bags to support the city’s goal of becoming plastic-free.