Maha Environment Min Kadam ordered action against devotees using banned plastic bags in Shirdi

Maharashtra Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam ordered immediate action Monday after noticing that some devotees were using plastic bags, banned in the state, at the temple town of Shirdi. Kadam visited the famous Saibaba temple at Shirdi in Ahmednagar district Monday.

On his orders, officials of the Shirdi Municipal Council recovered a fine of Rs 5,000 each from two shopkeepers who provided plastic carry bags to devotees. The minister chided municipal authorities for not implementing the ban on plastic bags in the town. Earlier, 1,200 tonnes of plastic garbage was generated in the state daily, but the amount is now halved after the ban came into effect in June, the minister told reporters.