Environment minister Gopal Rai on Saturday said the government was stepping up its fight against single-use plastics (SUP) in the city by banning its use in the secretariat from June 1. The government will replace existing SUPs with recyclable alternatives such as paper, jute or bamboo, he said.
“Single-use plastic goods will be prohibited at the Delhi Secretariat beginning June 1. In the first phase, use-and-throw pens and water bottles made of plastic will be prohibited in the Delhi Secretariat. Also, any banners, posters, and cutlery made of SUP will be banned on the premises,” said Rai on Saturday.
The minister said SUPs contribute to different kinds of pollution in the city, with plastic items such as spoons, forks, straw, polythene, plastic glasses often discarded and burnt.
“Many individuals try to destroy them by burning or burying them, which contributes greatly to air, water and land contamination, and also poses a major hazard to the environment. At the same time, given their light weight, SUP materials have been observed to easily travel through air and water, causing surrounding sewage or drainage systems to choke and causing water logging,” Rai said.
“Unless other options are promoted, it will be impossible to eliminate single-use plastic products in our daily lives.”
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Protests against Kashmiri Pandit staffer’s killing intensify in J&K
Protests escalated in Kashmir against the Thursday’s killing of a government employee belonging to the migrant Kashmiri Pandit community by militants. Scores of Kashmiri Pandit employees, appointed under the Prime Minister’s employment package, assembled at Press Colony in Srinagar and staged a protest seeking their safety and relocation outside the Valley. Holding placards, they raised slogans against the J&K administration and the BJP. They were seeking an audience with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
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![Former J&K chief minister and National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah addressed a public rally in Poonch on Saturday. (ANI file photo)]( "Former J&K chief minister and National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah addressed a public rally in Poonch on Saturday. (ANI file photo)")
Not ready to accept defeat: Omar on revocation of Article 370
Former J&K chief minister and National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah on Saturday reiterated hiOmar’stand that nullification of Article 370 in August 2019 was “unconstitutional and unlawful” and said his party was not ready to accept defeat. The former CM also lashed out at the BJP for calling Article 370 the biggest stumbling block in restoration of peace in J&K.
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Katra bus fire: Unknown outfit claims responsibility, police say can’t vouch for veracity
A letter purportedly issued by an unknown terror outfit ‘Jammu and Kashmir Freedom Fighters’ on Saturday claimed the responsibility for the Katra bus fire incident, which it said was an ‘IED blast’ triggered by one of its ‘special squads’. A senior police officer, however, said they were investigating the case and can’t vouch for the veracity of this letter at present. HT also doesn’t vouch for the veracity of this letter.
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![A frontal outfit of proscribed terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, TRF is being probed for radicalising, motivating and recruiting youth of the erstwhile state, NIA said. (Image for representational purpose)]( "A frontal outfit of proscribed terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, TRF is being probed for radicalising, motivating and recruiting youth of the erstwhile state, NIA said. (Image for representational purpose)")
The Resistance Front case: NIA raids four places in J&K, arrest 2
The National Investigation Agency on Saturday morning conducted raids at four locations in Jammu and Kashmir and arrested two persons in The Resistance Front conspiracy case. The NIA identified the arrested persons as Muzamil Mushtaq Bhat of Khwaja Bagh, Fatehpora, Baramulla, and Fayaz Ahmad Khan of Warpora, Zachaldara, Kupwara. The raids were carried out at Baramulla, Kupwara, Pulwama and Shopian districts.
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Kashmir University students protest against sacking of professor
Protests erupted in Kashmir University on Saturday against the sacking of chemistry professor Altaf Hussain Pandit by Jammu and Kashmir government. Eyewitnesses and university officials said scores of students assembled outside the department against the removal of Pandit. Pandit, 53, who was promoted to the professor rank in 2015, was to retire in 2031. When contacted on Pandit’s phone number, the caller on the other side said that he was not at home.
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