Page 52 - Plastics News December 2021

IN THE NEwS

Bihar Government Postpones SUP Ban To July NGO Raises Voice For

2022 Strict Enforcement Of

Plastic Ban In Punjab

embers of an NGO- Action
MGroup Against Plastic Pollution
organised a protest rally in front of the
district administrative complex (DAC)
demanding a ban on single use plastic.
In Jalandar. NGO founder Navneet
Bhullar and activists Tinu Luthra and
Anjali Arora put out placards to spread
awareness on the issue. They presented a
memorandum to Deputy Commissioner
Ghanshyam Thori demanding that
the ban on manufacturing, stocking,
he Bihar government has postponed been spared from the ban,” Singh distributing and recycling one-time use
Tthe ban on SUP to July 2022 . The said.The CAIT (Confederation of All plastics like disposable cups, spoons,
government said that the ban on single- India Traders), Bihar, chairman, Kamal straws etc be implemented with force.
use plastic items and thermocol products Nopani, said, the revision in the date Bhullar said: “The Department of
will be effective in the state from July 1, of the ban would give relief to traders Local Bodies and Department of Rural
2022, instead of December 15 as earlier dealing with plastic items and thermocol Development has put a complete ban
announced. The move is expected to products. “It’s great that the government on plastic bags in their jurisdictions
bring relief to traders. took our requests seriously,” Nopani said. from April 1, 2016, but it is yet to be
A notification issued by the department “Traders had requested to extend the enforced.” The NGO has plans to
of environment, forests and climate schedule of the ban on single-use plastic
change said single-use plastic items have items. In fact, they need time to clear their
been banned in the state as a part of stocks and plan strategies to shift to other
the Centre’s decision to eliminate the businesses,” he added.Pawan Kumar
material from the country and that the Kesan, another trader, said that with the
decision will be implemented in July next ban to be effective from July 2022, plastic
year along with other states.“Considering plates, cups, glasses, cutlery like forks,
the requests from different segments spoons and knives, straw trays, wrapping
of the society, it has been now decided and packaging films around sweets boxes,
to make the ban on single-use plastic invitation cards and cigarettes, and PVC carry out a series of street protests
items effective from July 2022,” said banners will be stopped from use. The every Tuesday. “We have earlier given a
Dipak Kumar Singh, principal secretary ban was put in place a day after the memorandum to Joint Commissioner
of the department.While all items of end of the traditional winter marriage of Municipal Corporation Major Amit
plastics with thickness below 50 microns, season when these products are used Sareen and the Commissioner Karnesh
including cups, spoons, glasses and rampantly.Single-use plastic products Sharma but nothing has happened”.
bottles, will not be allowed to be used, accumulate in the environment in large The members said: “We cannot sit and
paper plates coated with food-grade quantities and take hundreds of years to watch our earth and oceans bear the
plastics have been exempted from the decompose, said Bihar State Pollution brunt of our violations. This must stop.
ban, he said. “In fact, these plastic- Control Board (BSPCB) Chairman The only way to accomplish this is to
coated paper plates have been found to Ashok K Ghosh, recognising the ban as a pressurise authorities to enforce the
have become a cottage industry. They “positive step much ahead of the plan to ban on single use plastic bag use that
are created in houses and are sustaining eliminate single-use plastic by the central has been on paper in Punjab since 2016
many families. That is why they have government in the country”. but never enforced.

52 PLASTICS NEWS DECEMBER 2021