Sweets for the palate, sweet to the planet.

One of the capital’s oldest sweet shops, Uday Mistanna Bhandar at Lalpur Chowk, junked polythene carry bags for eco-friendly jute counterparts a week ahead of World Environment Day on June 5.

The reason? Owner Tara Shankar Guin says it is their small but effective wake-up call to the capital.

“Cloth and jute bags are lightweight, biodegradable, environment-friendly and reusable. I want Ranchi to be polythene-free,” he said.

In Jharkhand, the state forest and environment department in May issued a blanket ban on polythene bags less than 40 microns thick. Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC), which is implementing the state directive, is keeping vigil on the use of plastic bags.

“Now, all shopkeepers are finding out alternative means to cater to customers. Many are using polythene bags above 40 and 50 microns while others have completely stopped using it,” deputy administrator of RMC Shailendra Kumar Lal claimed.

But many shopkeepers, vendors and hawkers — as well as customers — aren’t even aware of the ban. Ignorance apart, those switching to paper or cloth bags sometimes charge extra from customers.

Uday Mistanna Bhandar isn’t charging extra.

“We are procuring jute bags in various sizes from Calcutta and giving them free of cost to customers to carry our sweet packets. This is our contribution to making our city free from the use of polythene, a major pollutant. We could have chosen to get polythene bags of 40 microns thickness or more, but we’ve decided to go a step ahead,” Guin said.

Customers seemed to buy it.

“This is a good, responsible step. The jute bags are not only eco-friendly, they can also be used for the other purposes. Polythene bags just land in dustbins or drains,” Avik Kumar, a customer, said.

At Sree Ganesh Snack Parlour, also at Lalpur Chowk, owner Prem Kumar said they had switched to brown paper bags. “Our customers are now carrying grocery and snacks in brown paper bags,” he said.

But he added that many customers wanted polythene bags. “When they ask us, we tell them about the ban. It will take some time for the new habit to grow,” he said.

RMC officials, aware of the perils of thin polythene bags clogging sewerage, especially during monsoon, have made elaborate plans to ensure the capital’s sellers and buyers get into the habit of using paper, cloth and jute bags.

On the eve of World Environment Day, Tuesday, RMC will host a citizen awareness rally from Birsa to Rajendra chowks. On Wednesday, June 5, the civic body will depute 55 ward commissioners to pick up plastic bags from localities from 7am to 11am.

Will you remember to carry your own cloth bag to the market?

Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com