People carry polythene bags near a shopping complex in Bhubaneswar and (right) the report in The Telegraph on January 30. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Feb. 28: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to ban the use and sale of polythene carry bags in the city within a fortnight. The decision was taken at a meeting today that involved various stakeholders such as representatives of various market associations and owners of hotels and malls of the city.

After the meeting, mayor Anant Narayan Jena said a resolution to this effect would be passed soon. “Considering the rules framed by the Union government, we have decided to put a ban on the use and sale of polythene carry bags. An awareness campaign in this regard will soon be launched by the BMC. We will also instruct the police to take actions against the violators,” said Jena.

Though the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011, which replaced the earlier Recycled Plastics Manufacture and Usage Rules, 1999 (amended in 2003), has entrusted the municipal authorities with the responsibility of implementing the new rule, the BMC is yet to launch a crackdown on the use of polythene carry bags in the city.

On October 20, 2011, and January 30, 2012, The Telegraph had carried reports highlighting the failure of the BMC in executing its decision.

The Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) has put a blanket ban on the use and sale of polythene carry bags by a notification on August 18, 2011. But, lack of manpower and equipment to check the thickness of plastic were major hurdles to implement the rule in the capital city.

Polythene carry bags beyond the permissible thickness level are mostly imported to Bhubaneswar from neighbouring states.

A source in the BMC said bio-degradable polymer, jute, paper and cloth carry bags would be used as alternatives to polythene carry bags.

“A company that produces bio-degradable polymer has approached us with their product. But, the cost of a single bio-degradable polymer carry bag will be around Rs 4. So, we have also to think about the viability options also,” said the mayor.

According to the new plan, several squads will be constituted to keep an eye on the use and sale of polythene carry bags in the city. At present, the BMC has two squads to monitor the rules framed by the Union ministry of environment and forests. The factories of polythene carry bag manufacturers will also be raided frequently to stop production of such items.

City environment officer Bikram Keshari Routray sought the cooperation of people to implement the rules. “It is a process that needs sustained efforts from every quarter. We have been planning this for long. But, as there was no support from various stakeholders, we failed to implement the rules earlier,” said Routray.

Member secretary of Odisha State Pollution Control Board Siddhanta Das welcomed the move saying that it would help check pollution.

“But, the civic authorities need to ensure that awareness campaign reaches the grassroot level so that people can know the harm caused to the environment by polythene carry bags,” said Das.