The Hindu : New Delhi News : Total ban on plastic bags in Delhi

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Tuesday, Apr 05, 2011
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Total ban on plastic bags in Delhi

Special Correspondent

Cabinet approves blanket ban on sale, storage and usage

Existing Delhi Degradable Plastic Bags and Garbage (Controlled) Act-2000 to be repealed
MCD, NDMS, Delhi police to look into strict implementation of ban

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Cabinet on Monday approved a blanket ban on manufacture, sale, storage and usage of plastic bags under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, New Delhi Municipal Council and Delhi Police would be instructed to strictly enforce the ban. The ban would apply to all plastic bags and those involved in their manufacturing and distribution.

The principal Act was amended in 2008 by which the thickness of plastic bags had been increased from the existing 20 microns to 40 microns for the manufactures.

The Delhi Government had then forbidden the sale, storage and usage of all kinds of plastic bags in certain notified places on January 7, 2009, as per Delhi High Court's directions. The notified places included all five and four star hotels, hospitals with 100 or more beds, restaurant and eating places with a seating capacity of more than 50, all Mother Dairy fruits and vegetable outlets, all liquor vends, all shopping malls, all shops in main markets and local shopping centres and all retail and wholesale outlets of various brands of consumer products.

Use of plastic bags was only allowed as per the Bio-Medical Waste Management and Handling Rules-1998.

Following the imposition of the ban it was observed that street vendors of vegetables and fruits vendors and those engaged in sales in daily and weekly vegetable markets were still using plastic bags. In view of this, the Delhi Government decided to promote alternative bags, carry out awareness campaigns and declared the paper/alternate bags-manufacturing as a household industry. At the same time, fines ranging from Rs.10,000 to Rs.1 lakh were imposed on 250 violators.

Ms. Dikshit said the Delhi Government has since decided to repeal the existing Delhi Degradable Plastic Bags (Manufacturing, Sales and Usage) and Garbage (Controlled) Act-2000 and has issued a notification under the Environment (Protection) Act-1986 for a complete ban on manufacturing and sales, storage and usage of all kinds of plastic bags in Delhi.

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