At horticulture exhibit, plastic ban rings hollow; 50-micron rule flouted

HYDERABAD: A ban on plastic bags, largely on paper, is being flouted with impunity as banned plastic bags can be seen in use at the All India Horticulture and Agriculture Exhibition at Necklace Road.
Days after the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) cracked down on plastic bags of less than 50 microns at Numaish at Nampally, these bags have resurfaced in huge numbers.
A visit to the fifth edition of the Horticulture expo spoke volumes on how the enforcement of the plastic ban in the city is still a distant dream. Visitors were seen carrying saplings of plants, herbs in thin polythene covers. From nurseries to stalls of herbs and those selling organic products, use of plastic bags continued unabated at this exhibition, despite reminders to visitors to use cloth or jute bags.

“While some are aware of the ban on plastic bags of prescribed thickness, a few of the visitors just seem to be ignorant about any such thing. Others have been found complaining and blaming the system for improper implementation,” said Naganand Rayikanti, a volunteer at the Swachagraha Hyderabad stall. The Hyderabad chapter of the Swachagraha at the exhibition is creating awareness on how to manage solid waste from garbage.
And not just the expos and trade fairs, the plastic menace can still be seen everywhere in the city, from vegetable vendors at weekly markets in Secunderabad, to various shops in General Bazar located at Paradise circle.
While mutton and chicken shops, which have been on the focus of GHMC’s awareness drive, have started following rules, the others are yet to fall in line. In addition to the small vendors, the shoppers too refuse to give up their convenience of using plastic bags.
So the bigger question is that whether the ban alone can eliminate the use of plastic bags? B Manohar Rao, GHMC additional commissioner, Swachh Bharat Mission said, “The government can make laws, but the success on the enforcement of any law is only possible with the support of the public.
“People should also cooperate. Once they say no to plastic bags and start using other alternatives in carrying their stuff, the ban would automatically get implemented.”
Being non-biodegradable, plastic bags of less than 50 microns thickness were banned in the city in June 2016.