Manufacturers to seek more time for complete ban on plastic
LUCKNOW: Manufacturers of single use plastic products in Uttar Pradesh have decided to appeal to Prime Minster Narendra Modi and chief minister Yogi Adityanath to relax the deadline before implementing a complete ban on plastic across the state.
“The livelihood of lakhs of people involved in the business is under threat after the government’s decision to completely ban plastic in UP. We want the government to give us more time before implementing a complete ban,” said president of Thermoforming Association of Uttar Pradesh Mohit Bansal on Wednesday.
The PM will be in the city for the ground breaking ceremony of investors’ summit later this week.Plastic producers from across the state were joined by members of All-India Plastic Manufacturers Association (AIPMA) to attend a meeting of plastic producers.
“We will also try to meet the CM to discuss our plight. We want to help the government in implementing the ban but only need some time for it. We will send a letter with our demands to the PM and will also advertise it with the hope that it comes to his notice,” he added.“Most of us have huge bank loans which will become impossible for us to repay if the ban is implemented in such a short duration,” Bansal said. Following in the footsteps of Maharashtra, the Uttar Pradesh government had implemented a ban on plastic from July 15.
As per schedule, the ban is to be implemented in three phases.
In the first phase, the government has issued complete ban on plastic carry bags which are of less than 50 micron. In the next phases, which will start from August 15, the ban will be implemented on all single use plastic crockery or Styrofoam.
In the final phase to be implemented from October 2, the state government will impose a complete ban on plastic.
The government has cited pollution as the biggest reason for the ban but the member of plastic manufacturers’ association term it as a problem of littering and not plastic. “We are also concerned about the garbage produced by plastic which is not recycled. We are ready to take measures to prevent it. The government should take steps to prevent littering and make arrangements for recycling,” said president of AIPMA Hiten Bheda. The producers also discussed the possibility of launching a protest against the government and approaching the court if the government fails to give them reprieve.