Cuttack: SCB Medical College and Hospital has been declared a polythene-free zone.

"SCB Medical College Hospital is the first place in the city to be declared a polythene free zone from June 5," municipal commissioner Bikash Ranjan Mohapatra told The Telegraph on Tuesday. Other places would be declared polythene-free zones in subsequent phases.

SCB is the largest hospital in the state with an 87-acre campus. It has the largest turnout of patients in the state with 30 departments.

The average daily turnout of patients at the OPDs is around 1,600. The hospital's indoor wards have bed strength of nearly 1,500, while there are more than 500 floor beds at any point of time with an equal number of patient attendants.

Mohapatra said officials of the civic body's health and sanitation wings would be engaged to first create awareness and simultaneously ensure that use of polythene is restricted on the premises.

"All the eateries, shops and street vendors will be prevented from using plastic bags. Violators will be fined," he said.

Lawyer and anti-polythene activist Pravat Ranjan Dash said: "Better late than never. Six years ago, the district administration along with Cuttack Municipal Corporation had decided to declare five places - SCB Medical College and Hospital, Buxi Bazar, Badambadi, Choudhry Bazaar and Jobra fish market 'polythene-free zones'. But it has not been implemented so far."