Chennai: In a trendsetter, to make their coastline serene and ideal for nesting of Olive Ridley turtles, Cuddalore district administration on Saturday enforced a strict ban on plastic usage of less than 40 microns of thickness.
Offenders would be levied a fine ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 10,000, said Cuddalore Collector T.P. Rajesh. The move is to conserve the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles that breed during December and March on the 16 nesting sites in the district spanning coastal villages including T.S. Pettai, Pudupet and Parangipettai.
Many instances of turtle deaths were witnessed, due to consumption of plastic by the endangered species. Stating that the ban is applicable to all the five municipalities, 16 town panchayats and 683 gram panchayats, a release from the Cuddalore collectorate said, “The fine amount will differ: Rs 10,000 for a wholesale trader, Rs 1,000 for a retailer, Rs 200 for roadside eatery owners and Rs 100 for the public using the banned plastic.”
“Firms and the general public have been ordered to segregate the waste, before disposal. If violated, they would be subjected to a fine amount of Rs 200 and Rs 100 respectively,” the release added.
To prevent choking of water bodies due to the disposal of plastic and sewer waste, the district administration mandated disposing the waste into the marine ecosystem. While the first time offenders would be imposed a fine amount of Rs 1000, repeated offenders should pay Rs 10,000. A circular has also been sent to the civic bodies to regulate the order.
