The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation looks like not interested in carrying out the rule regarding the ban on usage of plastic carry bags.In the last year (i.e) from July 1, the ban on usage of plastic carry bags came into effect, with the admirable wish of phasing out non-biodegradable and environmentally unsafe plastic carry bags, has ended up and which is now helping out the retailers to make money by selling the carry bags to the customers.However the ban on usage of plastic carry bags has totally failed to reduce the environmental pollution.
What’s more, the traders are also causing a loss to GHMC as they are not paying a single paisa to the civic body on advertisements printed on carry bags. As per GHMC rules, any display of advertisement either on carry bags, walls, and hoardings in public, attracts advertisement fee.
Though the GHMC had made it mandatory for manufacturers to print their name and registration number on plastic carry bags they sell so that people can complain if the bags lack specified thickness, banned plastic carry bags with fake registration numbers or without any registration number, are in circulation. However, big showrooms like Hyderabad Central, RS Brothers, and Big Bazaar among others are using above-40 micron plastic carry bags.
The GHMC has also failed to monitor whether retail outlets are offering incentives to customers using their own cloth and other environment-friendly carry bags. Most shops have upgraded their billing software to include charges for carry bags of the mandated thickness sold to customers. It was also made mandatory for traders to install boards at cash counters specifying the rates of carry bags that will be included in the bill. The penalty for violating this was a fine of Rs 5,000 for the first offence and cancellation of the trade licence for a repeated offence. However, nothing of this sort has been enforced.
Sources said about 2,500-odd plastic carry bag manufacturing units in and around the city are functioning without obtaining the mandatory registration number from the Pollution Control Board. The GHMC additional commissioner (health and sanitation), Mr L. Vandan Kumar, admitted that the plastic ban enforcement has slowed down considerably.
He also mentioned that "We will set up a special team and very soon will start raiding the plastic manufacturing units wholesalers and dealers which is in and around the city".
