Govt gets serious,announces blanket ban on plastic bags

The Delhi government has been working on this issue for last three years. In 2008,the first ban was implemented against the use of plastic bags of thickness below 40 microns. In January 2009,the government banned sale,use and storage of plastic bags. The ban was executed in the notified areas following a High Court order,such as five and four-star hotels,hospitals with 100 or more beds,restaurants with more than 50 seats,fruits and vegetable outlets of Mother Diary,liqour vends and shopping malls. The MCD and the NDMC were the primary executing agency,along with Delhi Pollution Control Board.

Faced with staff and resource shortage,the government was unable to successfully implement the ban. About 250 traders have been fined in the last two years for violating the ban.

Taking it a step further,the government now wants to ensure that plastic bags are no longer available to the public. “We have decided to impose a blanket ban on the manufacturing,storage and use of plastic bags in the Capital,” Dikshit said after a Cabinet meeting. The Cabinet note on implementing the blanket ban on plastics had been doing the rounds for nearly a month now.

At present,around 400 plastic bag manufacturing units are operating in the city and the total yearly turnover of these units is in the range of Rs 800 crore and Rs 1,000 crore,an industry expert said.