Hyderabad: The Telangana state government has ambitious plans to ban single-use plastic in all municipalities and panchayats. Municipal administration minister, K.T. Rama Rao, had on Thursday announced the decision on Twitter and said the cabinet would soon greenlight the proposal.
For a society that depends so much on plastic, it is anyone’s guess how successful this ban will be. Almost everyone, without exception, will be affected by the imminent ban. For some, it will be a minor inconvenience; for others, it will be a blow to their livelihood.
Mr Harshit, owner of a shop on Subhash Road near RP Road, said he would stand to lose a lot once the ban is announced. He sells disposable cups, glasses, plates and covers. “Currently, I have no alternative. My shop’s future depends precisely on what specific items the government will ban,” he said.
Asked about the recent GHMC drive against single-use plastic, Mr Harshit said if he didn't sell the items, his competitors would and then he would go out of business. “Unless the manufacturers of plastic items in areas such as Katedan stop making them, sales will continue. There is a demand after all,” he said.
Perhaps one of the most affected stakeholders are the manufacturers. Mr Imam Hussain, a PET bottle supplier operating out of Katedan, said he had come to learn of the government’s decision through a Telugu newspaper. He said he is clueless what to do about it since if plastic bottles, most likely to come under ‘single use plastic’, were indeed banned, he would be in trouble. “My business will suffer a major setback. I have no alternative. I hope the government takes us into account before it announces the rules, since there are so many like me,” he said.
Large manufacturers too are quite wary. Mr Mohit Kakani, a member of the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Plastic Manufacturers Association (TAAPMA) and director of city-based Karni Packaging Private Limited, said he was waiting for the government to clarify its intentions. His company makes, among others, silver-coloured plastic pouches that are used to pack food.
“I panicked the moment I saw the chief minister’s tweet,” he said. “The problem is that there is no proper definition of single-use plastics. Even the cover of a biscuit packet should be banned. Almost all plastic is single-use,” he added.
Mr Kakani said the initiative was a good one but there needs to be more clarity. “We need to be told what exact items are banned. We are facing such issues in states such as Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu where the ban is already in place. The lack of a strict definition leaves room for harassment by officials and that can lead to corruption,” he said.
Mr Kakani added that in the coming days, representatives of TAAPMA would try and meet with government representatives to plead their case. “Business will definitely be affected,” he said.
Roadside vendors were mostly unaware of the development. When asked about the matter, most of them said they did not know about the proposed ban. It may be recalled that Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, on October 2, Gandhi jayanti, had stated that single-use plastic would eventually be phased out across the country.
One vendor of dosas said he would simply stop using plastic plates. “I serve the food on steel plates with clear plastic sheets on them. I will not use the sheets. However, they are freely available at any shop,” he said, puzzled by the question.
Meanwhile, officials lie in wait for the government order. Mr M. Praneeth Kumar, public relations officer of Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB), said, “There are a lot of stakeholders, TSPCB, GHMC and other local bodies. Unless we get the government order, we won’t know what is expected of us.” The GHMC too is waiting for further instructions. However, it has sprung into action on discouraging the use of plastic. On Thursday, Ravinder Goud, assistant medical health officer (AMOH) at GHMC in Begumpet and Secunderabad, was part of a team that dished out three fines amounting to Rs 65,000 for usage of plastic thinner than 50 microns.
He told Deccan Chronicle on Friday: “The public is still not aware of the rules on plastic. Many violators continue to feign ignorance. Once a government order is issued, there will undoubtedly be pressure on us to meet the prescribed targets and control plastic use.”
