What are the problems the BMC is facing as a result of plastic bags?

Plenty. These indestructible plastic carry bags are the biggest cause of flooding during the rains, when they are indiscriminately dumped into sewers, nullahs and storm water drains. They get lodged against the grills of drains and obstruct the flow of water. Sometimes, the bags get filled with air and completely block drains. Drains are not something that can be cleaned every day.

It also spoils our impression in the eyes of people. People say, look the drains are getting flooded and the BMC is not doing anything.Clearing drains clogged with plastic bags increases the BMC's costs. And when the area is flooded, itcauses a revenue loss to the shops and business establishments in the area.

Plastic bags are everywhere, they're dumped into nullahs which flow out into the sea and are washed back to litter the sea front.

And now we've even started killing animals with plastic bags. People wrap foodstuff in these bags and dump them. They're eaten by cows. We've had the recent instance of 55 kgs of plastic bags being taken out of a single cow.

Two months back, you had announced that you would be banning plastic bags, Do you still maintain this stand?

There's no question about it, the bags have to be banned.

Can you give a deadline by when plastic carry bags will be banned?

We will consider a ban after the monsoons. We will initiate action within a week. The entire BMC is also of this opinion.

The association of plastic manufacturers had met you after your statement two months ago. What was discussed?

Well, they informed me about the importance of plastic and recycling and assured me thatthey would stop the manufacture of thin plastic bags. But even now I see these bags freely available in the market. So what have they banned? Even now I'm waiting for them to come back and tell me what measures they have taken. It's only when we (the BMC) threaten action that they come to us, talk and then just go away. We will now have to go about this according to the law.

How do you propose to do this?

Firstly, we plan to take action against manufacturers for obstruction of the municipality's drains. We are empowered to fine them. We can also issue notices against the product as it causes flooding in drains and is a nuisance on the sea shores.

What then are the options to plastic bags?

People have become so habituated to plastic carry bags that they've lost the earlier habit of carrying shopping bags. Even the smallest of purchases is handed out in a bag. Recently, I was even given some prasad at a Ganesh pandal, in a carry bag. I, of course, returned the bag. I feel that peopleshould revive their earlier habits of carrying shopping bags.