Uttarakhand moves a step ahead towards Plastic-free state and becomes the third state in India to ban Polythene bags usage after Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. The enforcement of the ban has started on 1 August 2018.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Trivendra Singh Rawat in a video urged the people of Uttarakhand to take an oath for not using Polythene from 1st August 2018.

The ban is on the usage of single-use plastic bags, plastic cutlery, and thermocol. The ban was first imposed in January 2017 by the previous Congress government in Uttarakhand barring the people from using polythene carry bags and single-use plastic cutlery. The ban came after the ruling of Uttarakhand High Court in December 2106, stating a sweeping ban on selling, purchasing, and usage of plastic. The Court had also banned entry of carry bags into the state by any means of transport — bus, trains and air.

“There’s already a government order of January 2017 which bans the use of plastic and its derivatives. The administration will now have to ensure its enforcement,” said SP Subuddhi, member secretary Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board, told the Hindustan Times.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister tweeted saying, any violations in the of these rules will result in a fine to the violator, as per government orders.

“Shopkeepers using polythene will be charged Rs 5,000, vendors Rs 2,000 and locals using the carry bags will be charged ₹500 as a penalty,” CM Trivendra Singh Rawat tweeted on Monday night.

पॉलिथीन प्रयोग करने पर दुकानदारों पर ₹5000, ठेली वालों पर ₹2000 व ग्राहकों पर ₹500 तक का जुर्माना लगेगा। मैं उत्तराखंड की जागरुक जनता से अपील करता हूं कि पर्यावरण को ध्यान में रखते हुए पॉलिथीन का प्रयोग बंद करें व इस मुहिम में अपना सहयोग दें।#BanPolythene — Trivendra S Rawat (@tsrawatbjp) July 30, 2018

“This campaign is for a publicity stunt.”

The Logical Indian spoke to some of the environmentalists to know their view on the plastic ban in the state. Environmentalist and social activist Mr Ratan Singh Aswal said that “This campaign is for a publicity stunt. He further said that, how will the common people follow the ban if they don’t even know about this ban. “I have not seen any advertisement regarding this ban. The government should have started the awareness campaigns 2-3 months before putting the ban. It is a complete failure of work by the government.” He said.

Talking about the failure in implementation on the plastic ban, he said, “In Pauri hill station, there is a ban on plastic since the last ten years, but still people are using plastic in their daily life.”

Another Environmentalist, Founder of Making a Difference by Being the Difference (MAD by BTD), Abhijay Negi is also concerned about the impeccable implementation of the ban “as all the previous bans were just words cited by government bodies”. He further says, Uttarakhand is a tourist state, and we must keep the beauty of state alive. Plastic waste is the major deterrent to its beauty.

Plastic Waste in Uttarakhand

As per a study by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), every day 25940 tonnes of plastic waste is generated in India. Plastic waste is one of the major cause of pollution which contaminates surrounding soil and ground or surface water. A survey conducted by Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board showed an exponential growth of the plastic waste generation, and it stated that the waste generated in 2041 would be double of what is generated in 2018.

According to Hindustan Times, Dehradun has topped the list in the state for generating 327.9 tonnes of plastic waste per day and it will increase to 584.051 tonnes per day in 2041. Haridwar holds plastic waste is proceed to grow up to 368.36 tonnes of plastic per day in 2041, which currently produces 236.5 tonnes of plastic waste per day.

The Logical Indian Take:

Hope, this time the government will take decisive steps to ensure the success of their plastic ban agenda.

Also Read:

Also published on Medium.