Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Itanagar: The Itanagar Municipal Corporation started a hardline crackdown on single-use plastic. Joint Commissioner Khoda Lasa issued the order on August 11. It applies to every shop, hotel, restaurant, and vendor across the city. Business owners must stop using prohibited items immediately. This includes carry bags thinner than 120 microns.
Officials are targeting a wide range of goods. The ban hits plastic-stemmed ear buds, balloon sticks, flags, candy and ice-cream sticks, and decoration thermocol. Plastic plates, cups, cutlery, straws, trays, and wrapping films are also outlawed. The city also prohibited PVC banners thinner than 100 microns. Businesses must stop using plastic sachets for packing and switch to compostable options.
The move follows a July 14 directive from the District Magistrate. The city is enforcing rules under the Environment Protection Act, the 2016 Plastic Waste Management Rules, and local bye-laws. Inspectors will conduct surprise checks across all 20 municipal wards. "No person shall litter or improperly dispose of plastic waste in drains, public roads, parks, markets, water bodies or any public place within the IMC jurisdiction," the appeal states.
Traders must follow strict labelling laws. The IMC shared the order with the state pollution board, police, and the district administration. Cooperation is mandatory. They want a cleaner city.
Updated at 12th August 2026 at 2:01pm
The crackdown draws authority from the Centre's Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2021, and a state notification from July 2022. Officials are also leaning on the Arunachal Pradesh Plastic Waste Management Bye-laws, 2023, and the Arunachal Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act, 2019, to give the order teeth.
The net now catches additional specific items, including plastic stirrers and wrapping films for sweet boxes and invitation cards. The ban explicitly targets the entire lifecycle of these materials, prohibiting the manufacture, stocking, transport, and distribution of the banned goods in addition to their use.
To spread the word, the IMC circulated the mandate to the state information and public relations department, urban local bodies, and the Arunachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board.
Updated at 12th August 2026 at 10:00pm
The net now catches a wider array of items. Officials added plastic stirrers, cigarette packet wrapping, and films used for sweet boxes and invitation cards to the list of banned goods. The rules now explicitly hammer the entire supply chain: manufacture, stocking, transport, and distribution are all off limits.
Authorities are leaning on the 1986 Environment Protection Act, the 2016 Plastic Waste Management Rules, and state-specific regulations from 2022 and 2023 to give the order teeth. The city also looped in the state information and public relations department to push the message out to the public.
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