Eco friendly: People carry paper bags at Ashok Nagar in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, June 10: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to intensify raids against polythene users in a bid to make the city polythene-free.

On Friday, the civic body conducted a raid at the Unit-I daily market and seized nearly 5kg of polythene from vendors there.

BMC has constituted a squad to conduct raids at various markets to impose the ban on the use of polythene. BMC sources said the raids would continue and the offenders would be punished.

“We conducted a signature campaign last month involving traders of the city to create awareness. If the vendors do not stop the practice of using polythene, we will be forced to register complaints with the police,” said BMC environment officer Bikram Keshari Routray, adding that the seized polythene is being disposed off in a proper manner.

On February 29, the BMC banned the use of polythene in the capital. The decision was taken at a meeting involving various stakeholders such as representatives of malls, hotels and market associations. But the capital is yet to become polythene-free.

However, the vendors said the raid is merely eyewash because the BMC has failed to keep its promise to provide an alternative to polythene.

“We are ready to cooperate with the civic body but the BMC should provide us with an alternative,” said general secretary of Rajdhani Dainik Haat Byabasayi Mahasngha Gayadhar Swain.

The corporation has been drawing flak from various quarters and there is growing clamour for restricting the use of polythene in the capital. The corporation, which had earlier decided to provide biodegradable polymers instead of polythene, has also not been able to provide it to the vendors.

Member secretary of state pollution control board Siddhanta Das said the corporation should act in a stringent manner to curb the use of polythene. “Strict implementation holds the key. The civic body must ensure a better environment by curbing the use of polythene,” said Das.

While the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) had put a blanket ban on the use of polythene on August 18 last year, the BMC took a long time to declare the capital polythene-free.

However, one positive thing is that some malls have started to hand over goods in paper carry bags. Even they think that the corporation needs to arrange a sufficient alternative.

“We are forced to procure the bags from outside and that is not cost effective. It will be very helpful if the BMC makes proper arrangement for encouraging the use of paper carry bags,” said an employee of a shopping mall in Saheed Nagar.

At present, the capital generates 450 metric tonne of solid waste and polythene constitutes 40 per cent of it. Polythene, among other things, blocks natural drainage channels. The capital needs around 100 tonne of carry bags every month.