E-Paper
Postpone plastic ban by a year: Punjab traders’ body
Raising hue and cry over the ban imposed on single-use plastic items in absence of a proper alternative and goods and services tax (GST) imposed on non-branded pre-packaged and labelled food items, a delegation of Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal (PPBM) submitted a memorandum with deputy commissioner (DC) Surabhi Malik on Monday
Raising hue and cry over the ban imposed on single-use plastic items in absence of a proper alternative and goods and services tax (GST) imposed on non-branded pre-packaged and labelled food items, a delegation of Punjab Pradesh beopar Mandal (PPBM) submitted a memorandum with deputy commissioner (DC) Surabhi Malik on Monday.
The traders’ body demanded that the government postpone the ban on single-use plastic items for at least one year till an alternative is introduced, which will give the plastic industry a chance to switch over their business to the new solution.
The traders stated that a large number of people are associated with the plastic industry and shutting down units suddenly will lead to large-scale unemployment and financial losses.
State general secretary of the traders’ body Sunil Mehra, said, “We understand that ban on single use plastic items is necessary, but it should be done in a phased manner. There is no alternative available in the market and the public is also facing problems. The industry is suffering huge losses and the government should look into the matter. The alternatives should be introduced by forming a committee which has adequate representation of industry. We have also written to the Union government regarding the same.”
Further, the traders demanded that the decision to impose 5% GST on packed non-branded items be revoked by the Union government. They stated that there is outrage, especially among food grain traders, as they will suffer from huge losses due to the decision.
District Secretary, Pawan Lehar said,” After this decision, even if a grocery shopkeeper sells food items packed with any mark for identification of his item only, then also he will have to pay GST on that food item.”
