ISLAMABAD, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The Pakistani government is going to ban the usage of plastic shopping bags here starting from Aug. 14, according to a draft of Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice.

The sale, purchase, retail, manufacturing, distribution and import of plastic bags will be prohibited after the given date, according to local reports quoting the SRO.

According to the draft, heavy fines are expected to propose for violators. If the violator is a manufacturer, importer or wholesaler, a fine ranging from 100,000 to 500,000 rupees (about 660 to 3300 U.S. dollars) will be imposed depending on the number of times the violation has been committed.

Similarly, shopkeepers, hawkers or vendors will face penalties up to 50,000 rupees (about 330 U.S. dollars) on more than two violations.

The draft will be presented in the upcoming meeting of federal cabinet by the Ministry of Climate Change for its formal approval, local newspaper Express News reported.

Earlier, State Minister for Climate Change Zartaj Gul said that the government was drafting a SRO under the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997 to provide legal support to the proposed action.

The minister added that measures were being taken to discourage excessive use of plastic in government departments, adding that awareness campaigns are being launched on the hazards of single-use plastic bags.

Pakistani environmentalists believe that most of the people in the country use plastic bags because shopkeepers gave them for free with grocery items. They suggested an increase in price of polythene bags as they are causing irreparable damage to the environment.

A latest report of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency said that as many as 55 billion plastic bags are used per year in Pakistan while the amount of plastic use is increasing by 15 percent each year, according to the newspaper.