Manufacturers of polythene to face Gurugram municipal corporation crackdown

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) is mulling a fresh ban on the use of plastic bags across the city. Officials said on Monday that a draft proposal will be sent to the state government for approval

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) is mulling a fresh ban on the use of plastic bags across the city. Officials said on Monday that a draft proposal will be sent to the state government for approval.

(Left to Right) MCG commissioner Yashpal Yadav and Mayor Madhu Azad at the MCG House meeting on Monday. (HT Photo)

The MCG had, in 2015, banned the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags but the enforcement remained poor. In August last year, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had imposed an interim ban on the use of plastic bags thinner than 50 micron in Delhi and imposed a fine of ₹5,000 against violators. The UP government in July 2017, enforced a ban on plastic across all cities.

Responding to complaints by the councillors about the city’s growing plastic menace during the fifth House meeting of the MCG at John Hall in Civil Lines on Monday, commissioner Yashpal Yadav and Mayor Madhu Azad said they were committed to making Gurugram plastic-free.

Both Yadav and Azad agreed that a top-down approach to curbing the use of plastic was required. They assured a crack down on the manufacturers of low-grade polythene so that consumption of the commodity could be nipped in the bud.

“We have taken note of this and will crack down on wholesalers and distributors of polythene by issuing hefty fines,” Yadav said. The House also decided that the MCG would come down heavily on the manufacturers of low-grade polythene, as penalising individual violators was not as effective as tackling the source of the problem.

“We will launch a drive against manufacturers within our jurisdiction,” Yadav said. He also said the MCG would work keeping in mind the October 2, 2019, deadline of the Centre’s Swacch Bharat initiative.

Yadav also said that the MCG was doubling its efforts to restore the city’s sewage and stormwater drains. “Usually, work on this begins a couple of months before the monsoon, but this time we have issued expressions of interest much earlier, so that contractors can be brought on board sooner and the issues can be resolved well in time for the next monsoon season,” Yadav said.

The MCG will also focus on widening drains in the Old Gurugram area.

An MCG official, who spoke to the Hindustan Times after the House meeting, added that a July order passed by the NGT was a major reason behind the move to improve the city’s sewerage and drainage networks, in addition to numerous complaints of waterlogging received by the commissioner’s office during this year’s rains.

In its order on July 25, the NGT had directed the Haryana government to ensure that stormwater drains in Gurugram are not covered and kept clean to avoid flooding in the city during monsoon. It also asked the Haryana government to prepare an action plan within six weeks for recovery of fine or penalty from those found polluting drains.

School upgradation

The proposal to create a joint committee for the upgradation of public school infrastructure has been forwarded to the education department. “We are hopeful for a positive response from them,” Yadav said. Plans to build a children’s park, with both recreational and educational fixtures, were also discussed during the House meeting.