Delhi begins crackdown on plastic bags, civic bodies seize 200kg polythene

Nearly 200kg plastic bags were seized by the civic bodies and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). The South Delhi civic body collected Rs 75,000 by penalising vendors and traders.

A week after the National Green Tribunal in an interim order banned plastic bags less than 50 microns, civic bodies and other government agencies finally cracked down on the city’s markets from Thursday.

As soon as the drive started, distributors started resisting and gathered in large numbers. Civic officials had to take the help of local police. (Arun Sharma/HT PHOTO)

Nearly 200 kilos of plastic bags were seized by the civic bodies and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). The South Delhi civic body collected Rs 75,000 by penalising vendors and traders.

Sources said that the drive would continue as the agencies would have to submit their Action Taken Report to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee next Friday.

“Four teams fanned out in NDMC area and seized 25 kilos of plastic from Gole Market, Khanna Market, Udayan Marg among others. A special drive would be conducted in the Sarojini Nagar market, which is the biggest market in the NDMC area,” said a spokesperson of NDMC

The north Delhi municipal body seized around 150 kilos of plastic bags. While around 80 kilos were sized from Azadpur mandi area, 70 kg of polythene bags were seized by Sadar Pahar Ganj Zone staff.

“Our teams issued challans to 32 vendors and recovered 17 kg of plastic from them. While 17 were court challans, rest were fined Rs 5,000 each for possessing the banned product. An amount of R 75,000 recovered from them,” said senior SDMC official.

Sources said that as soon as the drive started, distributors started resisting and gathered in large numbers. Civic officials had to take the help of local police.

Read: NGT bans use of plastic bags of less than 50 microns in Delhi

“We are not against the orders but ideally the civic agency should have informed the shopkeepers before penalising them,” said Mahesh Sharma, owner of a coffee shop at Yusuf Saria Market who was issued a challan.

Plastic manufacturers claimed that civic agencies should carry better tools to prove that the plastic is below 50 microns. The NDMC is planning to purchase four screw gauges.

“We know how to identify plastic less than 50 micros. If 200 bags could be accommodated within one centimetre, then each bag will be equal to 50 microns. But we would still carry screw gauges to measure the width,” said an official of north Delhi civic body.

Read: NGT ban on plastic bags: Delhi cannot afford to falter on implementation of order

Rajesh Mittal, member, Plastic Manufacturers and Traders Association in Delhi said that agencies need to start action drive against illegal manufactures so that production is stopped.

“Earlier in 2009 when the Delhi High Court had issued order, the drive was only carried out by the environment department in some malls. But this time it is a concerted effort and markets are being targeted. It is a welcome move,” said Vinod Jain of TAPAS who had played a leading role in 2009 and took the matter to court.