Clarity on specs can make 'Plastic-Mukt Bharat' a reality

Hyderabad/Vijayawada: "Can we free India from single-use plastic? Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that time for implementing the idea of 'Plastic-Mukt Bharat' has come and a significant step in this direction would be made on October 2.

This call of Modi has caught the attention of people of the two Telugu states, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

The Hans India which took the initiative to gauge the public mood particularly the traders and end-users on this issue found that the general feeling of the people was that a central legislation with clear definition of what constitutes single-use plastic can clear the air.

Some states like Telangana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh have banned plastic bottles and tetra packs, single-use straws, plastic/ styrofoam tea cups/ containers, etc. Though some effort has been made in the past to discourage use of plastic carry bags below 50 microns and also charge the customers for the carry bags, people are yet to give up the use of such bags.

People feel that the government should come up with a clear legislation and also take up large-scale awareness campaign asking people to carry cloth or jute bags.

In fact, this was the system in the past, but the introduction of plastic bags has not only polluted the environment but also the minds of the people, they said. Many felt that unless people's participation was not there it is difficult to implement this scheme.

Krishna district administration has sometime back launched mega campaign for ban on single-use plastic and for clean Krishna river known as 'Krishnamma Suddhhi' to keep the river, canals free from plastic and pollution.

If the state administration from Secretariat to local level take up the campaign on mission mode and if the traders, including the major malls revert back to the old practice of use of paper bags and start selling cloth bags in place of plastic carry bags, certainly Prime Minister's scheme of plastic Mukt Bharat would be successful said people from Krishna and Guntur districts.

In Hyderabad, a mutton-shop owner gives discounts to customers who come with tiffin boxes to push mutton. If such initiatives that benefit seller and buyer, plastic-free world will become a reality soon.

In Kadapa district the general feeling was that all such schemes should be taken up on a massive scale in rural areas as well. They appreciated the idea of presenting cloth bags or jute bags as gift to the loved ones.

In Nellore, the civic authorities said they were already imposing fine on the traders if they violate the rule of using plastic bags. The call given by Modi will give big boost to their efforts, they said.

K Venkata Ramana, a trader in Nellore city said that both traders and consumers should change their mindset.

In Ongole, the common people feel that the government should ban the manufacturing of harmful plastic bags. Small restaurants, grocery shops, vegetable and fruit vendors cultivated the habit of single-use plastic during the last 20 years.

Officials said in Tirupati, the municipal corporation has already banned the use of below 40 microns plastic carry bags, cups, tumblers and plates.

But it should be implemented more effectively to make Tirupati free from plastic menace. The decision of the Prime Minister was a welcome step and would give boost to their efforts, they felt.

People in Vizag said that just as the Centre had taken up open defecation-free campaign, it should involve people and government and strictly implement the scheme to make country free from use of plastic. But before that they should start a campaign now itself.