Taking a strong stand against the impact of plastic on the environment, Maharashtra enforced a state-wide plastic ban on Saturday. A 249-member team of civic inspectors are set to implement measures to curb plastic usage with supervision in places such as beaches, buses, railway stations and eco-sensitive areas.
The ban covers plastic bags, disposable cups and plates, plastic cutlery, non-woven polypropylene bags, plastic pouches and packaging, and thermocol. This follows a March 23 notification in Maharashtra – a state which contributes to 30 per cent of all the plastic waste in India, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) – to ban the use, sale, distribution and storage of single-use plastic and articles made from thermocol, The Indian Express reported.
A 249- member team of civic inspectors are set to implement measures to curb plastic usage. Credit: The Indian Express
“Monitoring squads will be authorised to conduct raids anywhere without notice. We’ll go as a force to specific areas that are chronically affected”, said Nidhi Choudhary, Deputy municipal commissioner (special) of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation told Hindustan Times.
The ambitious announcement, which was initially passed on March 23 this year, sent Mumbaikars into a tizzy as many of them depend on plastic for buying daily needs, including while shopping for grocery and has raised many questions and objections from the citizens.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) refused to give more time to citizens and manufacturers to get rid of banned plastic items. Credit: The Indian Express
Amid clamour for delaying the implementation of the ban, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) refused to give more time to citizens and manufacturers to get rid of banned plastic items. Caterers, theatres, religious places, markets, hawkers and school, too, are under the purview of the ban.
BMC’s law panel, on the other hand, has rejected the civic body’s demand to reduce the minimum fine proposed for violating plastic ban from Rs 5,000 to Rs 200, the Times of India reported. “[It] will lead to corruption. The new, proposed penalty structure is correct,” said Stalin Dayanand, activist and project director at the Mumbai-based non-governmental organization Vanashakti according to a report by Hindustan Times.
This is not the first time that the Maharashtra government has imposed a ban on plastics. According to the Maharashtra Non-Biodegradable (Control) Act, 2006, the use of plastic bags less than 50 microns is prohibited in the state.
Currently, 25 states across India have implemented a ban on plastic in some form or the other, however not all the states have managed to successfully impose them. In Karnataka, the state government is mulling over a 5 per cent tax on production and sale of plastic products. On World Environment Day, chief minister chief minister HD Kumaraswamy said, “Though there is a ban on plastic, its usage has not come down as anticipated. If we were to impose this extra tax, perhaps we can check the use of plastic.”
According to this report, Sikkim, on the other hand, banned the use of items made of plastic, including bags and cutlery is the only success story that has emerged out of a series of statewide plastic bans. Apart from Sikkim, the ban on plastic has not seen much success, especially in the bigger states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan.
(Written by Arnabjit Sur)
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