Maharashtra govt imposes plastic ban from today
Maharashtra govt imposes plastic ban from today

The Maharashtra government on Saturday enforced its state-wide ban on a wide range of single-use plastic items and thermocol, after giving 3 months notification period, and protests and court challenges.

The offenders will be penalised with fines ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000 will be imposed on those found with these items although viable and cheap alternatives are yet to be devised for mass use.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis while commenting on the ban said that the state's decision can succeed only if all the stake-holders support the move.

"We want to promote responsible use of plastic. Therefore, we have banned the kind of plastic that cannot be collected, regulated and recycled," he said.

The chief minister addressed the polluters which the major responsibility of making the ban succeed, but at the same time some exceptions have been made so that businesses are not hampered till alternatives have a strong presence in the market.

"The ban will succeed only with the participation of all the stake-holders and that the government has made a committee to ensure trouble-shooting and smooth adaptation.

"We do not want to promote police raj and we are also trying to address the concerns of traders and small vendors," Fadnavis said.

The non-banned plastic items will be levied with extra charges to ensure that they are not disposed of recklessly, but sent for recycling.

State environment minister Ramdas Kadam said, "We gave people enough time before we have decided to enforce the ban. This is not like demonetisation that was enforced overnight. The sea is being filled with plastic and this is no longer an issue pertaining just to Maharashtra, but the entire world." Kadam said.

Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray welcomed the ban by saying, although people will have to face some difficulty initially, they will get used to it over the time.

"This decision will change the destiny of our future generations. I am sure this decision taken by the government will serve as an example for the entire world," he said.

Thackeray said work towards the ban on plastic was initiated in August last year, when it was found that plastic had led to major water-logging in Mumbai following continuous downpour.

"A lot of plastic and thermocol was found stuck in gutters which rendered our pumping stations useless and caused flooding in the city. We have since been working on banning use of plastic," he said.

 
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