Authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa capital have banned the use of plastic bags in all the shopping malls and medical stores.
Peshawar Deputy Commissioner Peshawar Dr Imran Hamid Shaikh, through an executive order this week, set a deadline for the stores to dispose of their present stocks within seven and 15 days, respectively.
The malls have been directed to use biodegradable plastic bags while medical stores to use paper bags in the larger public interest.
According to the authorities, the plastic bags mainly contribute to choking of drains, resulting in poor sanitation and water-borne diseases.
In the second phase of the process, the ban would be applied on the grocery and fruit shops.
The DC also warned of strict punishment to the violators after the expiry of a deadline.
After a warning, he added, the available stocks of the shopping bags would be confiscated to be followed by the section 144 of the CrPC.
