Ludhiana MC’s drive against plastic bags proves a damp squib

After the MC team confiscated over 12.5 quintals of plastic bags and issued challans to the tune of ₹2 lakh to traders, a delegation of plastic manufacturers and traders met Mayor Sandhu for relaxation.

The special drive launched by the municipal corporation (MC) to impose a ban on plastic carry bags in the city from August 2 has again turned out to be a damp squib. The drive announced by mayor Balkar Sandhu was conducted only for two days and has been put on halt since then. The trade and use of plastic carry bags continues at every nook and corner of the city as the civic authorities have failed to rein in on the violators of the ban that was imposed in 2016.

Ludhiana MC’s special team raiding the vegetable markets and shops in Ludhiana on August 2. (HT FILE)

After the MC team confiscated over 12.5 quintals of plastic bags and issued challans to the tune of ₹2 lakh to traders in different parts of the city within two days of the beginning of the drive, a delegation of plastic manufacturers and traders had met Mayor Sandhu on August 4, seeking permission to deal in plastic bags of width upto 50 microns and above, as allowed by the union government.

A controversy had also erupted after MC secretary Jasdev Sekhon, the in-charge of the 13-member special team formed for imposing the ban, was transferred to Abohar just four days after the drive started. MC employees’ union had also opposed the transfer, suspecting it to be punishment for tightening the noose around the violators. At the time, mayor Sandhu had stated that the transfer has been done at the state-level and the drive will continue with some other official at the helm. But no raids were conducted in the city after that.