January 01, 2009	Thursday	Muharram 03, 1430

KARACHI, Dec 31: A Sindh government notification imposing a ban on manufacture, sale and use of polythene bags of 300 and below microns of thickness was criticised by people affected by it on Wednesday. They said the authorities concerned lacked the seriousness needed for the gradual elimination of non-biodegradable plastic bags from the city.

Contrary to the recent decisions arrived at between the plastic bags manufacturers and the city district government Karachi, a Sindh government handout on Wednesday said the government had imposed a ban on the manufacture, sale and use of polythene bags having 300 or less microns thickness, in the limits of the Karachi city government for 30 days under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Any violation of this order shall attract punitive action under Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code. All SHOs (station house officers) were directed to take action against violators of the ban in accordance with the laws, the handout added.

A top official in the home department told Dawn that the decision was taken after examining the recommendations made by the city government. A similar order issued in October 2008 had nothing to do with the Sindh Prohibition of Manufacturing, Sale and Use of Polythene Bags Act, 2006, but was based on the report of the city government that polythene bags blocked sewage lines and storm-water drains, obstructing the flow of wastewater and creating sanitation and hygiene problems, the official added.

After years of appeals by citizens and environmentalists, the government of Sindh moved against the offending bags in 2006 by introducing an ordinance, which later became an act, prohibiting the manufacture, sale and use of black polythene bags, including bags less than 30 microns of thickness, and set a punishment of three-month prison term, a fine of Rs50,000, or both.

As the provincial environmental department was unable to frame rules in line with the act and also lacked the magisterial power required for its implementation, the ban was enforced under Section 144 of the CrPC, and on two different occasions, City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal had ordered a ban on the manufacture of such bags for 30 days since March 15, 2007.

Initially, joint teams of the Sindh environment department and the CDGK cracked down on manufacturers and vendors of polythene bags in the banned category. Later, the implementation of the ban on bags of 30 or less microns of thickness remained a casual affair – that too due to the willingness of the city government and its officers in the revenue department, said a source in the government.

In the meantime, in order to make the campaign effective, the Sindh environment department also framed rules in line with the act but they could not be enforced because at a high-level meeting in 2007 it was suggested that the thickness of the banned bags be increased to 100 microns. However, no amendment has been made in the act, and the manufacturers and sellers continue to seek that they be accommodated during raids.

Surprised by the increase in the thickness of bags from 30 to 300 microns, the stakeholders in the polythene business argue that the reductions in the manufacture and sale of the prohibited bags should be ensured by identifying suitable substitutes.

The economic side of the process of production, distribution and sale should not be ignored, a marketer said, questioning why the ban was applicable to Karachi alone and not to other districts of Sindh or other provinces.

It is said that about a million plastic bags were consumed every minute globally. Light poly-bags settle in drains and cause backflow and water logging. They also degrade soil quality, harm animals and add to food contaminations in addition to causing aesthetic nuisance.

Reacting to the latest imposition of ban under Section 144 CrPC, marketers said that the notification was not in line with the announcements made by the city government after a meeting between representatives of plastic bag manufacturers and City Nazim Mustafa Kamal about a week back.

“The government had agreed to allow the manufacture of bags exceeding the thickness of 150 microns even after January 15, 2009 and as such we exhausted the products below 150 microns and continued production and marketing of bags beyond the agreed thickness,” said a manufacturer, adding that things had once again been confused.

The nazim had told the meeting that the manufacture and sale of bags of 150 microns in 18X24 sizes might be continued in the city, while import of bags violating the decisions would also be prohibited after January 15.

When contacted for comments, Karachi DCO Javed Hanif said it was not in his knowledge that the Sindh government had been requested again lately for imposing a ban on bags of 300 microns thickness.

He said the CDGK was observing a policy of ‘push and pull’ and sensitisation of businessmen and the masses, while aiming at a gradual phasing out of plastic bags and provision of reasonable time to the manufacturers and sellers to adopt some alternative businesses.

“Since amenities and the environment of Karachi are largely affected by the much-maligned bags, we want that a culture of paper and cloth bags flourishes and the nuisance of non-porous and non-biodegradable plastics be ended,” he said.