Business Community asked to produce substitutes of plastic bags for Clean and Green Pakistan

Islamabad, July 24, 2019 (PPI-OT): Pakistan was consuming 55 billion plastic bags per annum that were polluting the environment and government has planned to ban the use of plastic bags in a phase wise manner across the country to save the environment from their negative impact. As a pilot project, use of plastic bags would be banned in Islamabad from 14th August 2019 and business community should produce substitutes of these bags to promote the Prime Minister’s Vision of Clean and Green Pakistan. This was observed by Hassan Nasir Jamy, Secretary, Ministry of Climate Change while addressing the business community at Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He visited ICCI along with Hamza Shafqaat, Deputy Commissioner ICT for an awareness session for business community on Clean and Green Pakistan.

Hassan Nasir Jamy said that Islamabad was generating 700 to 1000 ton waste daily, but there was no arrangement for its disposal. He said that a waste disposal plant would be installed in Islamabad to cope with solid waste and produce fuel for industry. He said urban forestry would be launched in Islamabad and Lahore in coming days to promote the tree plantation campaign. He said that the current government has set a target of planting 10 billion in Pakistan trees during its tenure while housing societies in Islamabad have planted over 0.6 million trees so far. He stressed that business community should cooperate in tree plantation campaign by planting trees in industrial and commercial areas.

Hamza Shafqaat, Deputy Commissioner ICT said that land and list of trees have been identified for tree plantation in Islamabad that would be shared with business community so that they could contribute to this campaign. He said that 0.4 million trees have been planted in various sectors of Islamabad while more trees would be planted in collaboration with the local business community. He said that total 1 million trees have been planted in Islamabad during the last one year and encroachments from Nullahs were being removed. He assured that ban on plastic bags in Islamabad would be implemented in cooperation with business community.

Speaking at the occasion, Ahmad Hassan Moughal, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that till the production of substitutes of plastic bags, fines should not be imposed on business community. He stressed that the elimination of use of plastic bags should be done in a gradual manner to save business community from problems. He said that ICCI in collaboration with relevant organizations was already cooperating in tree plantation campaign in Islamabad and would continue to cooperate in such efforts.

He said that government should promote green industry through policy measures and assured that ICCI would cooperate with Ministry of Climate Change in promoting compliance of environmental friendly laws in business and industry. Rafat Farid Senior Vice President ICCI, Zafar Bakhtawari, Khalid Iqbal Malik, Mian Shaukat Daud, Baser Daud, Muhammad Ahmed, Khalid Chaudhry, Ashfaq Chatha and others also spoke at the occasion and gave useful suggestions for promoting Clean and Green Pakistan.

For more information, contact:
Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI)
Chamber House, Aiwan-e-Sanat-o-Tijarat Road,
Mauve Area, G-8/1, Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: +92-51-2250526, 2253145, 8432676
Fax: +92-51-2252950
Email: icci@brain.net.pk, info@icci.com.pk
Website: www.icci.com.pk