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Speak up Mumbai – Plastic predicament: Is govt rolling back its tough stand?

After it did a U-turn and relaxed its ban on retailers, many have termed the move a dilution of the ban, since an exception will lead to more exemptions in future

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It has made concessions in the ban to minimise discomfort to businesses till alternatives have a strong presence in market
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When ban on plastic was announced, the scope and framework of the ban seemed to be vast. There were voices that it should be restricted to plastic carry bags but the government was adamant and unrelenting. 

Come what may, the plastic will go, they said. Skeptics doubted the success of the ban because plastic has pervaded all aspects of a person's life, from packaging to protect goods from the water.

After giving extensions, the government said it will stay put because plastic bags are the main reason for waterlogging, and a minor change in the habits of people can go a long way in making this planet a better place to live.

Once the fines were levied, opposition grew. Kirana stores and retailers threatened a bandh and plastic alternative providers could not meet the demand. The government recently came out with a notification that covered multi-layered plastic and tetra packs under extended producer responsibility and then it will allow Kirana store owners with plastic bags over 50 microns.

Here's what people have to say about government's roll back.

VOICES

Simply banning something is not effective, alternatives should have been provided long before implementing the ban. Now the government is busy being lenient on certain materials. They should have spared a thought for the lakhs of people whose livelihood would be affected due to the ban. Also, it's very inconvenient to carry meat or vegetables in paper bags.
Madhu Kotian, resident of Mulund

The initiative is good, but the implementation is bad. The authorities should have created awareness among the people first. They should educate people about harmful effects of plastic on human health and environment. They should have promoted the alternatives to plastic. At this moment it seems plastic ban is only on paper with so many things exempted.
Mujahid Mulla, resident of Agripada

The government should have found alternatives before implementing the plastic ban. The ban came more as a political decision. Neither citizens nor manufacturers or traders were involved in decision-making which affected each and everyone in the state. With poor planning and lack of involvement of stakeholders, the state government has no other option but to back out. Gradually, all kinds of plastic will make their way into the market, just like banned Gutkha is being sold at every nook and corner. It's a lost opportunity for both government and citizens to do something for the environment and the next generation.
Rani Singh, Ghatkopar west

The plastic ban is a welcome step. I feel that the government has done the right thing by making some exceptions to the usage of plastic. However, such exceptions should also be temporary and the government should ensure that eco-friendly alternatives are made available to the public at the earliest so that public is not inconvenienced.
Siddharth Mehta, Santacruz

It is a good start by the government to ban few plastic items from the market. The move will help citizens understand that we can definitely use alternative materials rather than using plastic materials for most of our daily use. It's a social cause that everyone must support. It is only after the citizens support, that the initiative will be successful. The government should be strict about the implementation of fines to curb the plastic menace.
Jayashree Nagvekar, Andheri

I don't think the government has not diluted the ban. They should have banned more harmful multi-layer plastic, which cannot be recycled and ensured a green carpet. In contrast, kirana bags, which protect food products, garments, jewellery, from the elements and weather are recyclable. We have also asked for alternates to plastic. The government should have initially taken stakeholders on board. Lack of alternatives has created problems for both, shopkeepers and customers. There was a restriction on the use of plastic by retailers while multi-layer packaging by corporates has been allowed.
Viren Shah, president of Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association

Looks like they have diluted the purpose of the ban, considering how they recently made a concession for all types of retail packaging as well. It was more or less bound to happen, given the fact that they got ahead with the ban without making plastic replacement arrangements even on the basic level. I don't see the point of this ban anymore.
Ashvita Singh, Bhayander

The plastic ban is the need of the hour. However, it has imposed the ban without much thought, which resulted in chaos. I think the extension that government had received from HC for the ban wasn't used properly. They could have decided what all should be excluded and included at the beginning instead of giving concessions after imposing the ban. This shows that the government had ill-planned the whole move in spite of having a lot of time in hand.
Sanyog Kolgaonkar, Worli

EXPERT SPEAK

We have not chickened out, nor are we on the back foot. In fact we have taken steps to make the ban more stringent. Only one change has been made. Initially the relaxation on packaging was only for only big manufacturers. Small-time retailers were not given any exemption. In the notification we have also mentioned that they have to comply with other conditions like using 50 micron plastic, name of the plastic manufacturer printed on it, buy back option and the rate at which it will be purchased. They have to recycle it too.
Ramdas Kadam, environment minister

I would not call it chickening-out but the ban is certainly falling flat on its face. This whole business of coming with retraction after facing fury of kirana store owners, retailers, chaiwala and others only shows that you were not in touch with them before introducing the ban. The ban seems to have caught fancy of Ramdas Kadam, and Aditya Thackeray. It seems that their urge to do something for the environment and ban plastic in the processcame after Afroz Shah's drive that won him United Nations highest environmental honour, Champions of the Earth. They could have held a proper consultative meeting before ban and chalked out a better waste-management plan.
Rishi Agarwal, environmentalist

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