Plastic ban: won’t harass common man, says Kadam

Focus to be on manufacturers, says Environment Minister; hints at extension of deadline for undertaking on recycling for packaging firms

Mumbai 22/06/2018: Mumbai dabbawala show plastic bags with food in it,which is to be delivered to their customers for the last time today. Dabbawalas have told their customers that they will not delivered plastic bags from Saturday as Maharashtra government has imposed ban on plastic from tomorrow. Photo: Vivek Bendre

Mumbai: As the State gears up to implement the ban on a variety of plastic items on June 23, State Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam said on Friday that the common man and retailers will not face problem. He said the crackdown on violators will focus on plastic manufacturers, while hinting that the deadline for packaging companies has been extended.

Mr. Kadam held a meeting with a delegation of retailers and officials of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB). Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he said, “Once we close the manufacturing units, there will be no question of anyone using plastic bags in the State. There will be no relaxation on fines.”

He added that 80% of plastic items are manufactured in Gujarat in towns close to the interstate border with Maharashtra, and his department had recently caught four trucks loaded with 50 tonnes of plastic items. “The owners of these factories may be from Maharashtra, but they have factories in Gujarat. So, the loss of employment will be in Gujarat. But one must also understand that banning plastic items will help the environment, and those who lost jobs can be given alternate employment.”

Deadline extended

Mr. Kadam hinted that the government will exempt decoration items made of thermocol for the Ganpati festival this year. “Some Maharashtrian youths met me and requested they be allowed to use thermocol items in the festival this year, as they had already purchased them. The matter will be placed before the high powered committee dealing with the issue.

He said the three-month period for packaging companies to submit an undertaking on recycling plastic materials has been extended, quoting sources in the MPCB. The government may soon come up with a new notification only for packaging material. “The material should have type of plastic, date and place of manufacturing mentioned on it,” a State government official said.

Mr. Kadam, a Shiv Sena MLA, said the plastic ban was not announced overnight, unlike demonetisation, in an apparent dig at the BJP-led Central government. “There has been a lot of awareness on the ban. Only wilful offenders should be worried.”