A delegation of Chandigarh Beopar Mandal met Finance Secretary Sanjay Kumar on Friday to apprise him of the views of traders about the proposed ban on plastic containers. A memorandum was also submitted.

The members said they were against the ban as it does not seem “possible, practical and viable”. The delegation said it was neither in public interest nor beneficial for the consumer and it will prove to be a disaster for the industry and trade in the city.

The delegation comprised president Charanjeev Singh, chairman M P Kohli, general secretary Diwakar Sahoonja, vice-president Jagdish Kapoor and executive member Radhey Lal.

The delegation pointed out that 90 per cent consumable items such as flour, rice, sugar, dairy products, spices and pulses come in a plastic packing and the ban shall create chaotic conditions.

“Banning import of products in such packing shall create acute scarcity of goods since companies will not provide specialised packing for Chandigarh as it is a small city,” members stated.

The Finance Secretary assured the traders that he was aware of the needs of trade and industry for packaging of goods but also stressed on the need to find a suitable and viable alternative for packing food products.

Industry protests UT survey on building violations
A joint forum of Chamber of Chandigarh Industries and Industries’ Association of Chandigarh held a meeting on Saturday to discuss the plan of action in the wake of a survey being conducted by the UT Administration on building violations in Industrial Area Phase I and II and for commercial buildings in the rest of the city. Members of the forum stated: “Almost all plots in Industrial Area have some violation or the other, without which working would be impossible.” The members threatened to call for a bandh and take out a car rally from Industrial Area that would culminate at the residence of local MP Pawan Kumar Bansal.