The West Bengal Pollution Control Board has appealed to people to inform them about any unit manufacturing plastic bags less than 75 microns in thickness, which are banned across the country.
The information can be passed on through the Paribesh mobile application or by calling 1800-345-3390, a toll-free number of the board.
“The informants need not share their names and addresses,” said an official of the West Bengal Pollution Control Board.
The board has been making the appeal through social media campaigns since July 1.
In the Paribesh app, the only mandatory information that is required are the type of the unit against which the complaint is being made - in this case “manufacturers of less than 75-micron polythene bags” — the name of the unit, the district where it is located and a contact number of the complainant.
An official said they would request the complainants to provide the address of the errant unit so that it becomes easier for the authorities to track it down. There is also a comment section where complainants can enter information they consider relevant.
“We want people to inform us about any unit that manufactures plastic items less than 75 microns in thickness. We have even announced a reward for the informants. But if someone wants to keep their identity under wraps, they will get that option, too,” board chairperson Kalyan Rudra said.
“We only want authentic information so that we can crack down on the manufacturers (of banned plastic bags).”
An informant providing correct information will be given Rs 500.
The ban on plastic bags less than 75 microns thick came into effect on July 1.
Among the banned items are “earbuds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice cream sticks”.
A senior WBPCB official said they were yet to receive any complaint from “common people” about units manufacturing banned plastic items.