Cuttack: Decks have been cleared for making only registered shopkeepers and vendors eligible to provide plastic bags to customers.

Municipal commissioner Bikash Ranjan Mohapatra told The Telegraph on Friday that the municipal council had given its nod to the new rule to be enforced as part of implementation of the Centre's Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.

"The municipal council also gave approval on Wednesday for imposition of Rs 500 fine on shopkeepers and vendors on first instance of violation (providing plastic bags without registering) and Rs 1,000 on second instance of violation," Mohapatra said.

Under the rule, sellers who provide polythene bags to customers will have to register with the civic body and pay a plastic waste management fee.

As part of the new rule, the civic body has decided to make big shops pay Rs 1 lakh and small traders or vendors Rs 50,000 a year as pre-registration fees. However, it will give sellers the option to pay a monthly registration fee of around Rs 8,333 for big shops and Rs 4,166 for small ones.

The 2016 rules, notified by the Union ministry of environment, forests and climate change, provides for registration on payment of plastic waste management fee a minimum Rs 48,000 at Rs 4,000 a month while giving the civic body the liberty to prescribe higher plastic waste management fee, depending on the capacity of production or sale.

The registered shopkeepers are expected to display prominently that plastic carry bags are given on payment.

At present, plastic bags of over 20 microns are allowed to be given free of cost to consumers. Now as part of the implementation of the central government rule, nobody will be allowed to provide plastic carry bags below 50 microns, and charge customers for them. Vegetable shop owner Dilip Nayak said: "If I start paying Rs 4,000 to the civic body for providing polythene carry bags to buyers every month, it will be difficult for me to keep my small business afloat."

Customers backed the views of the retailers. Badambadi resident Praffula Mohanty said the fee was too high for small-time businessmen and street vendors.

Cuttack Chamber of Commerce secretary Prafulla Chatoi said: "The civic body's new rule is a positive move expected to be a deterrent to use of polythene carry bags and make people cautious. It's unfortunate that a ban on use of polythene has made little headway in the state till now."

The corporation is expected to take adequate steps to make both traders and people aware of the new rule before enforcing it," Chatoi said.