Nagpur squad finds 20 cases of drinking water used to wash cars, seizes 136 kg banned plastic

Anticipating a water shortage in the coming days, Nagpur Municipal Corporation Commissioner Dr Vipin Itankar has been issuing a series of fresh directions. The exercise began after instructions from the water resources department. As part of it, the NDS squad had recently surveyed car washing centres across the city.

On Tuesday the NDS squad was in the field again and visited five zones. It found 20 places where drinking water was being used to wash cars. However, the NDS did not say what action was taken against those involved, leaving confusion over the action.

The zone-wise picture from the inspection was as follows. Satranjipura zone had the most, with 8 places. Dharampeth zone had 5 places and Nehru Nagar zone 4. Dhantoli, Lakadganj and Mangalwari zones had one place each.

Besides curbing water wastage, the squads are also keeping a close watch on banned plastic bags during the festival season. With the help of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), the NDS raided commercial establishments in different parts of the city. A total of 136 kg of banned single-use plastic was seized.

In the entire operation, the municipal corporation collected fines totalling Rs 90,000. The fines were imposed for littering by stacking construction material by the roadside, obstructing traffic and illegally storing plastic.

The Maharashtra government has banned single-use plastic, and the NDS team has taken a tough stand against traders using it. On Tuesday, several commercial establishments under Dharampeth zone were raided.

At Ramnagar, 35 kg of banned single-use plastic was seized from the shop of M/s Bacha Sales, which was fined Rs 5,000. In the Jaripatka area, M/s Karan Traders was raided, 72 kg of plastic was seized and a fine of Rs 5,000 was imposed. Also in Jaripatka, 29 kg of plastic was seized from Kartik Traders and a fine of Rs 5,000 was collected.