Traders held, polythene bags seized as Guwahati enforces ban

Officials said over six tonnes of polythene bags that were on sale have been seized, while 10 godowns have been sealed in Fancy Bazaar. The Assam Government had imposed a ban on sale and use of polythene bags in the city a week ago, with Guwahati Development Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma saying these bags were contributing to flash floods by blocking drains and outlets. The ban, however, is purely temporary and would remain in force only for three months, Sharma had said.

This is not the first time that authorities have banned sale and use of polythene bags here. In 1998, the district authorities imposed a ban on polythene for the first time, but that measure hardly lasted a fortnight with traders getting a stay order from the High Court. Flash floods have disrupted normal life at least thrice in the past three weeks with large portions of Guwahati still remaining inundated.

The enactment of the Assam Hill Land and Ecological Sites (Protection and Management) Act by the state Assembly a few months ago has also not had any impact so far. NGOs complain that the Act was only on paper with nothing happening on the ground.