GHMC plastic ban all set to roll from today

The ban on plastic carry bags below 40-micron thickness comes into effect in the city from Friday.

Sources said that enforcement teams of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation will raid plastic manufacturing units, dealers, distributors and whole-sellers, besides major malls and markets, in the first few days after the ban coming into effect.

The civic body is likely to go slow against retail commercial establishments, particularly tiffin centres, eateries and restaurants in the first week as the managements of a majority of retail shops, showrooms and kirana stores in the city had complained that their shops had not been supplied with above-40 micron plastic carry bags by their distributors despite repeated requests.

The general secretary of Hyderabad Secunderabad Retailers’ Association, Mr Dilip Kumar Pansari, said about 600 shop owners who are members of the association have displayed banners and posters in front of their shops in support of the plastic carry bag ban. “We are also requesting our customers to bring their own cloth bags until we get supply of above-40 micron plastic carry bags,” he said.

However, petty traders running chicken and mutton shops and other small establishments in lanes and by-lanes are not even aware about the ban.

The GHMC additional commissioner (health and sanitation), Mr Aleem Basha, said the focus will be on ensuring that production of below-40 micron carry bags is brought to a complete halt.

This will automatically result in the retail market not getting non-permissible plastic carry bags, Mr Basha said.

Source:DC

Did you like this? Share it:

Mayor does a u-turn on blanket plastic ban

HYDERABAD: Mayor Banda Karthika Reddy and GHMC commissioner MT Krishna Babu on Tuesday did a Uturn on the proposed blanket ban on the usage of plastic carry bags under Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits from July 1.

However, till the receipt of government orders, the ban will be imposed on manufacture, sale, usage of plastic carry bags up to 40 microns thickness.

The final notification issued by the government of India in Plastics (Manufacture, usage and waste management) Rules 2009 will be implemented in GHMC limits.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Karthika Reddy along with Krishna Babu said in order to implement the ban on plastic carry bags, GHMC in the first phase will target those plastic manufacturing units which are found making plastic carry bags with less then 40 microns thickness, a penalty of Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000 will be levied and if the units continue to violate the rules the GHMC would seal and confiscate the machinery.

The second target would be shops and establishments, selling carry bags wherein a penalty between Rs 2,500- 5,000 would be slapped on and if need be shops would be sealed.

The final target will be the general public. Persons found carrying plastic carry bags will be fined, Krishna Babu said.

‘’Our intention is not to harass the public but to see that they stay away from using plastic carry bags to protect environment from further degradation,’’ he said.

It may be recalled that the GHMC standing committee in April this year passed a resolution for total ban on usage and manufacturing of plastic bags from July 1.

Mayor appealed to the people to desist from usage of plastic carry bags and encourage environment-friendly products such as cloth and jute bags to protect the environment.

Source:IBN

Did you like this? Share it:

Plastic ban: Govt seeks legal opinion

HYDERABAD: With just three days left for the ban on plastic carry bags to come into force, the state government is seeking legal opinion whether they can go ahead with forbidding plastic carry bags in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) jurisdiction.

Speaking at the Hyderabad District Review Committee (DRC) meeting here on Monday, minister for tourism and Hyderabad district in-charge minister J Geeta Reddy said the state government would take a decision on the plastic after getting legal opinion. However, Hyderabad's Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi said his party's view was that the civic body should follow the Union government's guidelines and discourage plastic carry bags less than 40 microns. The GHMC standing committee should take a decision on the ban as per the Union government order, he added.

Earlier,MLC S Indrasain Reddy said the GHMC had taken a bold decision by banning plastic carry bags and all representatives should extend cooperation in implementing the ban.

Though it was a DRC, issues related to the Old City dominated the marathon meeting. Legislators, especially from the Old City, raised issues pertaining to road widening, foot over bridges, desiltation of nalas, nala widening, water supply and sewerage.

Asaduddin Owaisi said only Rs five lakh was being allocated to each division (2 & 3) in the Old City as annual maintenance where there were 50,000 to 80,000 water connections.

Some MLAs said citizens have been forced to consume contaminated water. To this, Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) managing director M Jagadishwar said as part of the Old City package new sewer lines were laid in about 200 kms of the total 400 kms. Additional allocations are being given where funds are required, he added.

Many members raised the issue of nala widening, water stagnation and road widening in their respective jurisdictions. GHMC commissioner Krishna Babu said he would start inspecting nalas from Tuesday and promised to take up widening of nalas on a war-footing basis. He sought the support of people's representatives in relocating squatters, removal of encroachments and widening of nalas.

On the Jiaguda slaughter house issue, the GHMC commissioner said the project got held up as it falls under GO 111 areas and slaughter house is a polluting project. He said the other four slaughter houses proposed at various places like Amberpet would be completed by October-end.

MLC K Nageshwar said the Moula Ali Kaman has been closed for traffic since an accident occurred there and damaged the heritage structure two years ago. "As the kaman has not been repaired and road not opened for the past two years, thousands of commuters have to take a detour," he said.

MLC MS Prabhakar Rao said there were irregularities in awarding works of bus shelters on nomination basis and collection of advertisement tax.

Jubilee Hills MLA P Vishnuvardhan Reddy said metro rail alignment was changed in Yousufguda to avoid taking over of a private property for construction of metro station and instead land of Water Board was taken over.

Secunderabad MLA Jayasudha asked the GHMC officials to complete the road widening works between Sangeet junction and Taranaka as early as possible as commuters were put to inconvenience due to traffic jams on the stretch.

Rajya Sabha MP V Hanumantha Rao and other members sought to know what action was taken against Navin Mittal, who served as Hyderabad district collector, on the allegations of irregularities in regularising land in the city.

Geeta Reddy said the government would take a decision based on the inquiry report. 

source:TOI

Did you like this? Share it:

Eenadu Article on Plastic bags

              This Article on famous Telugu daily Inspired me more to create this Blog..I wanted to make my friends aware of this loss by using social media.. Thanks to EENADU.

Did you like this? Share it:

Why Plastic Bags are Evil

Did you like this? Share it:

The sad life of a plastic bag

Did you like this? Share it:

The Animals Save the Planet - Supermarket Bags (video)

Watch This Video Animals are better than us.. they carry their bags..

Did you like this? Share it: