Shopping spree for city based consumers turned out to be full of troubles on the first day of the ban imposed on plastic carry bags by Chandigarh Administration
CHANDIGARH: Shopping spree for city based consumers turned out to be full of troubles on the first day of the ban imposed on plastic carry bags by Chandigarh Administration as majority of shopkeepers forced customers either to shell out extra bucks for paper bags or take away unpacked items from their shelves.
At some places, some customers, who were unaware of the ban on plastic bag use, were getting goods in the normal plastic carry bags provided by the retailers. The shoppers could also be seen yelling at shopkeepers for not providing any bag or
containers to hold loads of goods they bought.
The Chandigarh Administration has imposed a complete ban with effect from Thursday on the use of plastic carry bags in the Union Territory in a bid to protect the environment from the use of plastic hazard.
It has even imposed strict penalties on violators including imprisonment for a term, which may extend to five years with fine, which may extend to Rs.1 lakh or both and if contravention continues, an additional fine to the extent of Rs. 5,000 per day shall be imposed.
To ward off any trouble from the administration, some big retailers have even started providing eco friendly carry bags to
their customers but with a certain cost. Reliance Fresh, located in Sector 22-B market has asked its customers to pay Rs.5-7 per eco friendly bag for carrying goods. "We are charging Rs. 5 to 7 per bag from a customer who wants to buy our bag. Otherwise they can bring their own bags to carry their items," an employee of the store said.
Shoe store Bata in Sector 17-E was selling shoes after tying with shoe box with thread. "We are strictly following the directions of plastic ban and not giving shoes in plastic bags," said H.K. Bajaj, Manager, Bata India Limited.
Customers complained that the administration should have ensured that shopkeepers have made adequate arrangements for providing eco friendly carry bags to their customers and should not charge anything from them.
It may be mentioned here that Chandigarh Administration, three years back, started using plastic bags in the making of roads and with its use, the durability of roads could be much more. But because of the lackadaisical attitude of the administration, this project was put on backburner.
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