State will back BMC plan to ban all plastic bags

Mayor Shraddha Jadhav’s proposal to ban plastic bags — irrespective of their thickness — in Mumbai is set to become a reality.

Mayor Shraddha Jadhav’s proposal to ban plastic bags — irrespective of their thickness — in Mumbai is set to become a reality.

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On Monday, state Environment Secretary Valsa Nair said the government would extend all the help required to make the ban a reality.

Once the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) passes the proposal, the state would need to amend the law to implement the ban.

Currently, bags thinner than 50 microns cannot be sold — a ban imposed after the July 2005 deluge. It was found that plastic bags had choked several drains, amplifying the effect of the downpour. Hindustan Times was the first to report, on December 27, that the BMC was contemplating the ban.

A complete ban on plastic bags already exists in Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Kerala. Last week, Pune became the first city in Maharashtra to okay such a ban. However, the Pune ban is being enforced in stages. As of now, only those who sell bags thinner than 50 microns are being fined.

Jadhav said the proposal wo-uld be tabled in a meeting of party group leaders on January 2.

Civic officials were unsure how effective the ban would prove. “Imposing penalties and punishments hasn’t helped so far,” said a civic official requesting anonymity.