KARACHI: A province-wide ban on the manufacture, supply, and use of plastic shopping bags came into full effect across Sindh on Sunday, as the final deadline for compliance expired. The Sindh government has pledged strict enforcement, warning that violators will face heavy fines, arrests, and factory closures.
Environment Secretary Agha Shahnawaz Khan stated that all manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers have been given ample time through repeated warnings and awareness campaigns. “There is no more room for leniency,” he said. “The use of plastic bags in any form will not be tolerated.”
Teams from the district administration, police, and Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) have been mobilized to ensure compliance and take punitive action without exception.
In a high-level meeting chaired by Secretary Khan last week, a zero-tolerance enforcement strategy was finalized. A special committee under SEPA Director General Waqar Hussain Phulpoto, comprising all regional directors, was formed to coordinate the crackdown.
Formal letters have been issued to the home secretary and all divisional commissioners to oversee coordinated district-level action, with visible results expected from June 16 onwards.
