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Implementation of ban on plastics sought

PUDUCHERRY: The Puducherry Environment Council has sought immediate implementation of the ban on plastics, saying that substitutes for plastics will come up with the enforcement of the ban.

A member of People’s Pulse, a social welfare organisation that is part of the Puducherry Environment Council, said that the ban, first suggested five years ago, has been deferred repeatedly. The only way forward is to implement the ban with enforcement getting progressively stricter as awareness among people grows and substitutes develop, he said.

The proposed ban on plastic bags and cups was announced by the government in January.

The government had said that the ban would come into force from July 1 and six months were needed to develop suitable alternatives to plastics. But, the ban was deferred by two months and government has said that a draft notification of the ban issued on June 4 needed modifications.

Special Secretary to the Government G. Theva Neethi Dhas said that six months was too short a period to implement a ban on a material like plastic that is so extensively used.

The draft notification elicited a strong response from stakeholders, and hence has to be reconsidered.

“The legal process has been initiated. The ban will be implemented in two months after determining whether to ban all plastics irrespective of thickness, developing suitable substitutes and deciding how to enforce the ban,” he said.

The Puducherry Environment Council is at present drafting a proposal on the role of non-governmental organisations in enforcing the ban when it comes into force.

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