Angry Vegetable Vendors In Colombo And Other Areas Protests Against Using Of Plastic Containers To Transport Vegetables And Fruits

A Heavy Traffic Jam is reported from Colombo Fort and surrounding areas  this morning (14) due to the protest campaign launched by Manning Market Vegetable Vendors to oppose the new regualtions implemented by Government on transporting Vegetables and Fruits in Plastic Containers.Government make this new regualtion compulsory with effect from midnight last Sunday.

As  Vendors are not responded to the government's decision positively the Consumer Affairs Authority officials have arrested 40  lorries at Hanwella and paliyagoda for transporting vegetables and fruits without plastic containers and produced them before court.Following this incident angry Vegetable Vendors entered to the streets in Fort,Dambulla,Bandarawela and many other areas and protested against this new regulation.During yesterday's protests vendors who are in to the streets set fire to many vegetables and they have also  thrown varities of vegetables to the streets.This act was done in other areas too according to reports.

As Vegetable Vendors opposing the using of Plastic Containers to transport vegetables and fruits to the market the Corporative Affairs and Internal Trade  Minister Johnston Fernando has stated that the government will not changed it's decision on using plastic containers for transporting vegetables and fruits and vendors can get  containers for lease as well as for rent by paying a resonable price .

The new regualtion was introduced to save the  30 percent of  vegetables and fruits which are going in to waste  when they are transport in bags he stressed.