Berhampur: There was huge hype everywhere when the Odisha government declared to make the state plastic and polythene free in July, 2018. However, the ban seems ineffective in the Silk City, Berhampur, thanks to the unabated import of plastic from neighbouring states.
As per government directions, plastic ban was imposed on the Silk City from October2, Gandhi Jayanti. All shopkeepers were asked to refrain from providing polythene while customers were encouraged to use paper bags during shopping.
By now, seven months have passed. However, going through the reality check, the Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC) has miserably failed to make Berhampur complete plastic free.
Tons of plastic are being imported to the Silk city on a daily basis while the BMC authorities have washed away their hands by conducting raids on small shops. The only way to completely ban plastic in the city was a ban on the import of plastic, locals said.
Locals urged the administration to impose ban on import of plastic to the city. They also demanded the officials to resume the raids that have stopped just few weeks after the plastic ban was imposed.
Initially, officials conducted raids, but now they are not paying any heed. As a result, huge quantity of polythene is being imported to Berhampur unabated. Locals demanded a routine check on vehicles on NHs to prevent the transportation of plastic.
As per BMC sources, more than three tons of plastic and polythene have been seized in between November 2018 and May 2019. Moreover, the BMC shut down 14 to 15 retail and wholesale shops while more than Rs 3 lakh was imposed as penalty.
However, locals have expressed anguish as to why the plastic use is still going unabated. They attributed it to the negligence of the authorities concerned who they accused of sitting silent after initial raids.
When contacted Enforcement Officer, Tarun Kant, said, “Whenever we get any information of use of plastic, we conduct raids and make seizures. However, there has been no information of plastic import to Berhampur. We will look into the issue.”
“The ban on plastic carry bags is just an eye wash. Almost seven months have passed since the much-hyped ban was imposed by the state government on plastic carry bags but its use is still rampant,” a local said.
PNN