Maharashtra ban on plastic: BMC collects over Rs 1.27 crore in fines
Mumbai's Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has collected Rs 1.27 crore as fine for carrying plastic bags, Mid-Day reported on Sunday.
According to the report, over 2,800 people have been fined for the same.
Earlier this month, Maharashtra Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam decided to levy fines on everyone including commoners carrying banned plastic items from October 1, BMC officers are unaware of this decision and therefore fine people as per orders in June.
After three months of plastic ban, customers and retailers are seeking alternatives to plastic items especially cheap waterproof bags, spoons and straws. People have been made aware to some extent and are taking the ban seriously but, there are grey areas, claim stakeholders.
BMC has collected more than Rs 1 crore as fine in the last 3 months. Yet many shops and customers use plastic bags because they think there are no viable alternatives to it. There should be effective substitutes for plastic that are cheaply available. "Paper bag manufacturing requires way more energy and these bags have a short shelf life. So, if the state really wants to implement a ban, then it should focus on giving viable alternatives to plastic bags," said Anuradha Deshpande from Mumbai Grahak Panchayat.
from Daily News & Analysis https://ift.tt/2ElmtFb
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