Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray, who spearheaded the plastic ban in Maharashtra, congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for pitching for freedom from single-use plastic in his Independence Day speech. “Can we free India from single-use plastic? Let a significant step be made on October 2,” Modi had said.
Thackeray said that since Modi had made the initiative a part of his speech, it will gain momentum and soon become a law. “I want to congratulate the Prime Minister for mentioning the single-use plastic ban issue in his speech. We have done it in Maharashtra, now when the PM speaks on it from the Red Fort, it will become a movement. We hope there is a bill on banning single-use plastic soon,” Thackeray said at Sena Bhavan in Dadar on Saturday. If all states come together to ban the use of such plasticware, the impact will be multi-fold, he said, adding the amount of garbage collected in Mumbai has reduced after the ban. “Illegal manufacturing of plastic in any state should curbed. If there is a ban on production, usage and sale, only then will it be effective,” he said. Thackeray added that airports and stations in India can be made free of single-use plastic. He said the civic body will deploy additional blue squads for better enforcement in the state. He, however, added that a “mindset change” is required for the ban to be effective.