Manufacturers to offload 300 tonnes of plastic bags to other states

Mehta said that the association had requested the government for a 90-day amnesty to sell a majority of the bags to other states which had not imposed the ban on thin carry bags.

M R Shah, the BMC’s former chief engineer (Solid Waste Management) who drafted the initial report recommending the ban, feels that the plastic manufacturers have no option left but to offload stocks in other states. “Even municipal corporations around Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan and Ulhasnagar- are planning to implement the ban.”

There are about 200-300 factories manufacturing these carry bags in Mumbai alone. Many of them have ceased production or have begun recaliberating their machines to make thicker bags, Mehta said. “Our activities will be severely hit atleast for the next 6 months, but I don’t see much of a problem later.”

But retail traders have reiterated their demand for delaying the ban by 90 days. “We need time to stop the entire process of manufacture and distribution of the bags,” said Rajendra Thacker, secretary of Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association. Thacker said that they needed the time to educate the most frequent users of such bags, including retailers and citizens. “We will try to educate as many retailers through our association and spread awareness through our Rotary club as well,”he said.

Nearly 2000 poor families would suffer on account of the sudden imposition of this ban. “Nineteen manufacturers I have spoken to have already sent away their workers.”

Oblivious of what association leader Thacker felt, retailers have reacted to the ban on a positive note. For purely economic reasons. “We used to spend Rs 200 daily on purchasing these bags,” says grocery shop owner Nitin Parag in Andheri. “People will initially find it difficult and be irritated but they will come to terms with the situation soon and will start getting their own cloth bags.”

Some vegetable vendors have already stopped handing out plastic bags. An irate lady customer walks away from vegetable vendor Radheshyam Jaiswal in the Vile Parle market when he informs her that he doesn’t keep plastic bags. Jaiswal is unfazed. “She will start bringing her own shopping bag after two or three days,” he quips.

A few BMC officers had reportedly made rounds of the Vile Parle (E) markets on Wednesday and recovered all the plastic bags available with the vendors.