The corporators’ fervent appeal for a blanket ban on plastic carry bags in the city has been turned down by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) administration, as it claimed that the demand was unfeasible.
Speaking in the civic standing committee on Wednesday, additional municipal commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar said, “Plastic comprises a large share of the trade and commerce activities in the city. Hence, it is not feasible to ban the use of plastic entirely.”
However, corporators remained adamant, and insisted that the BMC ban plastic. BJP group leader Dilip Patel also demanded a ban on
tetra-packs. While Shiv Sena corporator Trishna Vishwasrao suggested distribution of cloth bags to prevent use of plastic bags, her party colleague Ramesh Korgaonkar demanded that the licence of plastic manufacturers be revoked.
Replying to them, Ms Mhaiskar said, “The issue of a blanket ban on plastic was first considered after the 26/7 deluge in 2005. But considering the high use of plastic across the city, it was not feasible to ban it completely. However, the civic administration is considering various ways to increase the use of cloth bags.”
Civic standing committee chairman Rahul Shewale directed the civic body to take strict action against ward officers for failing to act against banned plastic in their wards.
According to the civic officials, plastic carry bags below 50 microns have been banned in the city. In the last three months, the BMC has taken action against 2,981 manufacturers and seized 6,000 kg banned plastic from them.