Despite the heavy pressure from the “plastic lobby”, the Delhi government has notified the blanket ban on plastic bags. A senior Delhi government official on Thursday confirmed that the notification regarding blanket ban had been issued on October 23.
“The ban had been notified on October 23 and the process of implementation of the decision is on. Very soon Delhi will become the first plastic bags free state,” the official said.
The city government, however, notified the ban discreetly following the pressure of the “plastic lobby”. At least one lakh people are directly depended on the business of plastic bags, which includes factory owners, workers and buyers. The pressure of unemployment of these one-lakh people was the biggest hurdle in front of the Delhi government for banning the plastic bags.
The city government has taken the decision to impose a blanket ban on the polythene bags in a Cabinet meeting on September 11 and had decided to put a blanket ban on production, storage and selling of the plastic bags. As per the provision of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 under which the violators could face imprisonment up to five years and fine of upto `1 lakh or both.
As per the decision, no persons, including shopkeepers, vendors, wholesalers, retailers and hawkers will be allowed to sell, store or use plastic carry bags for supply of any goods.
Earlier, the city government had imposed a ban on the use of plastic bags in year 2009 in various markets, shopping malls, hotels and hospitals following the Delhi high court order but it has not produced any desired result. As per the earlier notification, no person was permitted to manufacture, stock, distribute or sell any carry bag made of virgin or recycled plastic of less than 40 microns in thickness.