Banned plastic covers widely in use by traders

Secunderabad Cantonment: The banned plastic covers of below 40 microns are being widely used by traders, such as pushcart vendors and petty businessmen, in the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) areas like Annanagar and Rasoolpura, despite the warning of experts that they should be shunned.

They are using them perhaps with the motive of spending less money and with the greed of earning more profits. In the process the traders are throwing a challenge to the environment and turning a deaf ear to the experts crying hoarse that the buried used plastic covers will pollute soil.

Officials are acting hand-in-glove with the petty businessmen by neglecting supervision on the use of the banned plastic items amid criticism by the residents that they are conducting only notional raids to check the use of plastic bags.

The residents while expressing anguish over the ban getting a royal burial pointed out to The Hans India that the ban in the past was hardly enforced by the officials/staff concerned.

They expressed shock that the SCB officials seem to have forgotten their responsibility to enforce plastic ban and look the other way, while traders are fully exploiting the lack of ban.

The widespread use of plastic covers becomes all the more interesting, in view of about 600 units in and around the city, manufacturing plastic carry bags/covers. The residents of SCB area want both the board and the GHMC officials to at least ensure that the banned covers are not made available.