State government has banned the use of flex banners, boards, posters by departments, institutions, government agencies in government offices during functions with immediate effect.
In a notification, Urban Development department stated that the ban was in pursuance to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India order dated February 13, 2020.
Flex banners/boards/posters are made up of Poly-Vinyl-Chlorides (PVC), a plastic polymer, which is a non-biodegradable material and, if burnt, it releases harmful toxins and gets bio-accumulated in the food chain of ecosystem causing serious hazards to human health and environment.
The government has instead encouraged use of eco-friendly materials such as cloth banners, light weight textile fabrics, wrinkle resistant wrap knit, natural-fibre based sandwich boards, resin-infused papers, particle boards, etc. to combat plastic pollution in the state.
The state government has informed all AHoDs/ HoDs to disseminate its directive to all the district offices/institutions/agencies for strict compliance.