DMumbai, December 27, 2009 . Metro . Page 3
FINAL SOLUTION BMC working on plan to impose total ban on plastic bagsMumbai : Pune did it, now Mumbai is planning to.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is planning a total ban on plastic bags in Mumbai -- currently, only those less than 50 microns in thickness are banned. That ban was imposed by the state government in 2005, on the behest of the BMC.
Plastic bags had proved to be a major factor in the choking of drains in the city during the 26/7 flooding. Bags less than 50 microns were banned because they tend to fly easily because of their light weight, landing in drains and sewage lines, and preventing the smooth flow of rainwater.
Since then, the BMC has found that the 50-micron ban has not proven useful since monitoring the sale of bags less than 50 microns is difficult. Now, the BMC is planning to implement what the Pune Municipal Corporation announced earlier this week -- a complete ban on the sale of plastic bags.
"We are serious about this," said Mayor Shraddha Jadhav, adding that the proposal will be discussed in the next meeting of civic group leaders in the first week of January. "I will also write to the municipal commissioner so the BMC can start preparations for the ban," she said.
BMC Commissioner Swadheen Kshatriya said: "The solution on plastic bags must be practical. If Pune has completely banned them, we will see exactly what they have decided."
Jadhav also said: "The time has come to go back to our conventional cloth bags."
Environmentalists welcomed the idea. Sunish Subramanian, founder and secretary of Plant and Animal Welfare Society, said: "If it happens, it'll be great.
But lawmakers must see that it is implemented strictly."
The Maharashtra Plastic Carry Bags (Manufacture and Usage) Rules, 2006, say the minimum thickness of plastic carry bags must be 50 microns, and their size must be no less than 8 x 12 inches.
