Ranchiites, start carrying your own bag to the market instead of asking vegetable vendors and shopkeepers for polybags.

Ranchi Municipal Corporation has started gearing up to reinforce the ban on polybags of thickness less than 50 micron (1 micron isone millionth of a metre), most commonly used at grocery, poultry and fish shops and vegetable markets.

A public notice issued by Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) in a few vernacular dailies spoke of the civic body's seriousness in making its plastic-free Jharkhand campaign successful.

The notice directs Ranchi residents to adhere to Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, which stipulate the minimum thickness of plastic carry bags as 50 microns to facilitate their collection and recycling. Also more expensive to produce, consumption of thick plastic bags is automatically limited.

"All shopkeepers are requested not to use plastic bags of less than 50 micron thickness inside Ranchi Municipal Corporation area. In place of plastic (polybags) alternatives made of paper, jute and other biodegradable materials need to be used," the notice also read.

The notice further added that those shopkeepers who continued to provide plastic bags to customers would have to display a notice in their shops reading plastic carry bags were provided only on payment.

This apart, shops would have to give details of thickness, name of producers of polybags with registration number and a label signifying that it could be recycled.

Medical officer of RMC Dr Kiran Kumari, who is entrusted with implementing this order, said first-time violators of the central plastic waste rules had to pay Rs 200. These could be shopkeepers as well as general public carrying polybags below 50 microns thickness.

"Repeat offenders will be dealt with differently. The quantum of fines will increase and an FIR may also be lodged against them," Dr Kumari said.

Dr Kumari, however, said for maximum impact, they would start not with penalty but with awareness. "We will start taking fines from August. But this month, we will focus on the negative impact of the use of polybags. From long-time soil pollution to short-time clogging of drains that lead to waterlogged roads, polybags do immense harm. We want people to realise this," Dr Kumari said.

From August, a city enforcement squad will monitor use of polybags and impose fines on violators, she added.