From today, beware if you are using plastic
The Thane Municipal corporation (TMC) is all geared up to implement the plastic ban from today. Even as the Thane civic corporation has drawn guidelines for the ban, societies and traders are opposing it. The opposition they claim is not against the ban, but it has more to do with the TMC’s apparent lack of initiative to spread awareness. The traders have declared that they will not pay the fine and hence, there are signs the city will witness the ‘plastic war’.
The TMC will begin crack down on those using any kind of banned plastic from 7.00 am on Saturday. The action will be focused on commercial establishments, market places and railway stations on the first day. The corporation also informed that residents who are found using plastic will not be spared. “The deadline set up by the state is now over and we have set up ward-wise teams to survey the city from Saturday morning. The sanitary inspector of each of the ten wards along with pollution control employees will survey the commercial establishments, market places and the residents in the ward to check if there is any use, sale or manufacture of plastic. We will not spare even the residents found using prohibited plastic, for which those near the station will be targeted,” said Manisha Pradhan, pollution control officer of TMC.
The corporation has set up collection centers in each of the ten wards and have also stationed vans which will collect plastic or thermocol over 10 kilograms. Pradhan added that the action will go on even if the High Court who is hearing a petition to stay the ban, rules against the state.
TMC flooded with messages
After the corporation published a Whatsapp number where people can leave a message if they want to dispose off their old plastic, the pollution control department was flooded with messages. Pradhan informed, “We received over 70 messages since morning, asking us to send the van to collect plastic.”
On the other hand, traders and societies have opposed the ban as they claim that had not received any guidelines before banning the plastic they have. “We do not understand what are we supposed to keep and what to throw,” claimed Kamlesh Hemani, office bearer, Thane Traders Association.