The civic body will, however, not fine citizens; fining of retailers, hawkers continues as the enforcement of plastic ban picks up pace
At the time the ban was brought into force, the BMC had said citizens, too, would be penalised if found carrying plastic bags
While Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray has promised a plastic-free state by May 2020, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) seems to be going easy on citizens in the endeavour. At the time the ban was brought into force, the BMC had said citizens, too, would be penalised if found carrying plastic bags. Now, it says no fine, and at most citizens will have to carry the items in their hands if caught carrying single-use plastic bags. The administration is sticking to awareness and action only against retailers and hawkers.
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Since March 1, onwards, after the ban was reinforced two years since it was announced, the markets department has been threatening vendors inside municipal markets that they could lose their licences if they flout the ban. The civic body has started urging all citizens, traders, vendors, hawkers to shun restricted plastic. The corporation has formed a team of officials from the licences, health, markets, shops and establishments, education departments to carry out preventive action by raiding establishments and commercial places.
Since Sunday, the BMC inspected 4,081 shops and seized 1,028 kg of plastic and collected R3,75,000 in fines. While the maximum seizure was from Masjid Bunder, 14.5 kg of polythene bags (single-use plastic) was seized from at least 315 street vendors and 450 flower shops around Dadar station, and 76 shops inside Dadar flower market and recovered R45,000 in fines. Plastic was also seized from end-users (customers) buying flowers and vegetables, but they were not fined.
A civic official, on condition of anonymity, said, "We do not want to harass customers but at the same time we want them to cooperate in the plastic ban. If there is no demand for it, vendors will not stock it. We are seizing single-use plastic from citizens but are not fining them yet. The action will be ongoing until the nuisance of plastic is curbed."
Rs 3.75 lakh
Amount collected in fines since Sunday
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