MUMBAI: The government of the western Indian state of Maharashtra has banned the manufacture, sale and use of all plastic bags, saying they choked drainage systems during last month’s monsoon rains. Environmental groups welcomed the ban, but said it was not enough. Plastic manufacturers said 100,000 people would lose their jobs.
Manufacturers and stores selling plastic bags will be fined 5,000 rupees (£90), while individuals using bags face penalties of 1,000 rupees, said the state’s top elected official, Vilasrao Deshmukh.
Mr Deshmukh said the ban had been prompted by the indiscriminate use of plastic bags, which blocked sewage and drainage systems during record monsoon rains. Flooding and landslides killed more than 1,000 people in the state. The ban is to take effect on Sept 24. Until then, residents of the state could file objections and suggestions, he said. Other Indian states have already banned use of thin plastic bags used by shoppers. Last month some prominent Mumbai residents, including movie producers, sued the state government for responding slowly to the crisis created by floods that paralysed India’s financial and entertainment capital. Residents blame haphazard planning, bad drainage and poor roads for the flooding and landslides.
“The ban is long overdue and very welcome, but this has to be a first step,” said Debi Goenka, an environmentalist with the Mumbai Environmental Action Group.
Environmental groups have demanded preservation of open spaces and regular cleaning of drains and garbage. Arvind Mehta, managing committee member of the All India Plastic Manufacturers Association, said more than 1,000 manufacturing plants would be forced to shut down in the state, putting 100,000 people out of work. —Dawn/ The Guardian News Service
