Maharashtra plastic ban implemented in haste, should be postponed, says BJP MLA Raj Purohit

Mumbai: BJP MLA Raj Purohit said on Thursday that the people of Maharashtra were facing troubles due to the plastic ban as it was implemented in haste and without proper planning. He said the ban should be postponed till December 2019 and by that time alternatives to plastic should be made available. The state-wide ban on plastic items came into effect from 23 June. [caption id=“attachment_4616371” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of civic workers inspecting the shops following a plastic ban in Mumbai. PTI[/caption] “The entire state has been shaken by the plastic ban. There is not a single household that has not been affected by it. The government implemented the decision in haste and no proper planning was done to make alternatives available,” he told reporters at the state secretariat here. “The ban should be postponed till December 2019 and no fine should be taken till then. During this period, all the stakeholders should come together and suggest alternatives to plastic. Once that is available in the market, plastic can be banned,” he said. Earlier in the day, Purohit met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and apprised him of the troubles faced by the traders. The state government on Wednesday relaxed the stringent ban on plastic usage by allowing small retailers to use plastic bags for packaging for the next three months. Purohit said the government should issue a notification to this effect at the earliest. Slamming the Mumbai civic body for collecting fine for possessing plastic, Purohit said, “Traders are being treated as if they are criminals who have committed some serious offence.” “People are being threatened to pay hefty fines and are being treated as criminals. How will the BMC: which is zero in terms of development, which can’t fix potholes, can’t ensure that there is no water-logging in the city during rains and can’t manage waste- recycle plastic? Is there a mechanism to segregate, store and recycle plastic?” he asked. The BJP leader also said the government should set up Maharashtra Plastic Damage Control Authority, which will look into all aspects of plastic recycling. “If people have to be penalised, the penalty should not be more than Rs 100, Rs 200 and Rs 300 for the first, second and third time offences,” Purohit said.