The ban on polythene bags in the City Beautiful is “ineffective”, “unenforceable” and needs “re-consideration”. With large number of city denizens using polythene bags everyday, the blanket ban on polythene bag has more or less fizzled out.
This has been pointed out by a study carried out by “Environment Matters”, a local environmental organisation to assess the effectiveness and impact of polythene ban in the city. The UT Environment department had roped “Environment Matters” to carry out the study.
Five years back, the UT Administration had imposed a complete ban on manufacture and use of polythene and plastic bags in Chandigarh with an aim to ensure sustainable improvement in the environment. Alas, it has failed to effectively enforce the same in past five years.
The study also called for re-consideration of the ban. The study stated, “Continuation of polythene ban in Chandigarh needs a re-think due to enactment of Plastic Waste (management and Handling) Rules 2011, in the country.”
Under, Plastic Waste (management and Handling) Rules 2011, no person shall manufacture, stock, distribute or sell any carry bag made of virgin or recycled or compostable plastic, which is less than 40 microns in thickness. While a complete ban on polythene and plastic bags was enforced in Chandigarh on October 2, 2008.
The study recommended that the issue of conflict in case of Plastic Waste (management and Handling) Rules 2011 needs to be sorted out in the city as with its implementation, there is no need of complete ban on plastic in Chandigarh.
The survey has also revealed that the key concern in Chandigarh is manufacturing of plastic carry bags of fine microns (less than 20 or 40 microns) which are of very low cost and thus are extensively used by vendors hawkers. The higher authorities have made no effort in past five years to identify such manufacturing centres, pointed out the study.
Advocating for a collective effort, the survey has suggested that effective cooperation among State Pollution Control Board and other stakeholders needs to be ensured to crackdown illegal manufacturing of plastic carry bags in the city.
According to the study, hawkers are the major violators. During the survey, 65 per cent of the hawkers stated that they use plastic bags after the ban. 93 per cent of hawkers said they do violations as there was alternative available for plastic bags.
For the effective implementation of the ban, the study has recommended that punishment must be commensurate according to extent of violation. And, there is a need of regular and extensive awareness for the strict enforcement of ban. It also suggested that contact numbers and details of officials concerned should be displayed in school, roads and Subzi Mandis so that citizens can register the complaints of violations.
During the survey, the opinion of the manufacturing industry, recycling industry, shopkeepers, unorganised sector users as in Subzi Mandis, Public-Resident Welfare Associations, housewives and students in Chandigarh was sought on the enforcement of plastic ban. A feedback form including questions on justification of ban, awareness of ban, alternatives of plastic bag, usage of plastic bag after ban, purpose of ban, failure of ban’s effectiveness among others was given to the city residents for the survey.
When contacted, Santosh Kumar, Director UT Department of Environment said, “We are studying the survey report. And, will consider the recommendations of the report after thorough analysis of the report.”In Chandigarh, those who breach the ban can face a prison term of up to 5 years and/or a fine of upto Rs100,000. Repeat offenders may face up to 7 years imprisonment and/or an additional fine of Rs5,000 per day.