At exhibit, anger on display
The first day of plastic alternative exhibition organised by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) saw thousands of people visit various stalls displaying alternatives to the banned plastic materials.
Bollywood star couple Ajay Devgn and Kajol inaugurated the exhibition. There were 61 stalls and 50 other self-help groups present to make people aware of the alternatives to single-use plastic materials.
“The biggest part in the ban is that there is no umbrella ban on plastic. It is single-use plastic which is being banned. Most of the people get confused by that,” said Nidhi Choudhari, Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Special), in-charge of implementing the plastic ban, adding, “The single-use plastic makes up to 89 per cent of all the plastic waste the city generates.”
As far as penalties are concerned, they remain unchanged at Rs 5,000 for first offence while Rs 10,000 and Rs 25,000 will be charged for second and third offences thereof.
However, as per the BMC officials, the plastic squad will not go hammer and tongs on public initially since their focus is to target bulk plastic generators.
“Our main focus in the initial days will be to stop the supply to the consumers. That includes malls, retailers, manufacturers and other parties from where plastic may land in public hands,” said Kiran Dighavkar, BMC’s nodal officer for Swaccha Bharat Abhiyan in Mumbai.
“We don’t want to harass the citizens and consumers and hence want to ensure the plastic doesn’t come to consumers,” Dighavkar added.
Moreover, with ‘plastic ban squad’ emblazoned on their uniforms, the inspectors will rally around the city in a mob of 250 for the whole weekend. “They will start from Gateway of India from Saturday and will start roaming the city. They will start imposing fines on people from Monday. The most important thing is, people should not pay the penalty if there is any officer without uniform and proper authorisation,” Dighavkar stated.
Meanwhile, many people are furious about the fact that there are no alternatives displayed of
THE ‘PLASTIC BAN SQUAD’ WILL START IMPOSING FINES ON PEOPLE FROM MONDAY
the polypropylene (PP) bags.
“We are all for the plastic ban, but what about giving alternative to the single use plastic? They say you have to find a solution. The state government should impose the ban and we are supposed to find its solution? That is ridiculous,” growled Rahul Mahyawanshi, a readymade garments manufacturer.
Another sweets and farsan manufacturer said the consumer will be at a loss with the ban.
“It is evident that the prices will rise since manufacturers will now have to use expensive bags or packaging. Manufacturers or retailers will never bear losses. Added prices will ultimately have an effect on consumers,” said Varun Padhiar.
The exhibition showcased an array of products a consumer can choose instead of plastic, ranging from wooden plates, spoons, and forks to cardboard Ganpati decorative mandir.