With no proper checks on the usage and availability of the plastic bags , these seems to making a quiet comeback to the shops of Delhi.
The mission started very good and also raised awareness in the people but gradually due to lack of proper checking all the neighborhood grocery shows and vegetable vendors which had stopped giving out plastic bags have gone to back to their old ways.
Prompted from the Delhi High Court, the Delhi government had banned all kinds of plastic bags from markets and standalone shops in Delhi with a notification on January 7.
As per the ban, violators could be fined up to Rs 1 lakh and jailed up to 5 years.
The BAN Applies to
- Five and four-stat hotels.
- Hospitals with 100 or more beds.
- Restaurants and eateries with seating capacity of 50 or more.
- All fruit and vegetable outlets of Mother Diary
- Liquor vends
- Shopping malls
- Main markets as well as local markets
- Chains of branded as unbranded retail shops.
Which state pioneered the plastic ban?
Himachal Pradesh was the first state to ban plastic bags and it also the stricest in terms of enforcement. The minimum thickness of bags allowed in the hill state is 70 microns – double that in Delhi – and the minimum size of the bags allowed is 12×18 inches.
Who is empowered to enforce the ban in Delhi
Civic authorities – MCD and NDMC – have the powers to raid shos and enforce the ban. Officials from the departments of Health, Food and Civil Supplies and Environment, apart from the sub-divisional magistrates and divisional magistrates can also enforce the ban.