Cuttack: The municipal corporation has constituted special squads to prepare the pitch to execute the state government's ban on plastic.

Cuttack municipal commissioner Bikash Ranjan Mohapatra told The Telegraph on Wednesday that 10 squads had been formed as part of a planned drive for effective implementation of the ban.

On July 10, chief minister Naveen Patnaik announced a ban on plastic bags, polythene and single-use plastic in the state. The ban will be implemented in phases from October 2. In the first phase, the ban will be imposed in all five municipal corporations - Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Sambalpur and Rourkela - and Puri town from October 2.

"Every six ward will get a special squad, each led by sanitary inspectors and include other civic officials. They will be assisted by the respective councillors," he said. There are 59 wards under the municipal corporation.

"The state government is expected to roll out the rules for implementing the ban on September 1."

Lawyer and anti-polythene activist Pravat Ranjan Dash said: "The enforcement of the ban from October 2 will make it easier for the municipal corporation to deal with the plastic menace as it will check inflow of restricted polythene into Odisha."

The special squads have been assigned the task of tracking down the sources in Cuttack from where polythene bags find their way to shopkeepers and vendors. "The squads are also expected to identify places where polythene bags are stored before distribution," Mohapatra said.