Margao Municipal Council’s proposed ban on plastic carry bags from April 1, 2018 has hit a major hurdle with vendors and traders demanding that it should be a total ban applicable to everybody without giving anybody the right to disburse plastic carry bags by paying a hefty sum as registration fees.
It would be pertinent to point out that at the beginning of the month, MMC, through a circular signed by the Chairperson Dr Babita Prabhudessai and Chief Officer Johnson Fernandes, had sought to impose a ban on plastic carry bags in the city by invoking the Plastic Waste (management and Handling) Rules 2016 and the Goa Non-Biodegradable Garbage (Control) Act.
The notice stated that nobody including traders, shopkeepers, street vendors, fish/chicken/mutton vendors, bread vendors and any other business establishment will be able to give any plastic bag to their customers from April 1, 2018.
However, invoking Rule 15 of the Plastic Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, the MMC said any person who intends to sell or give any plastic bag above 50 microns should register themselves with the council by paying a registration fee of Rs 48,000 per annum.
This exemption by paying a registration fee is what both the leading organisations of traders and vendors in Margao, namely the Gandhi Market Vegetable, Readymade & Cloth Vendors Association and the Margao New Market Vendors Association are objecting to.
Presidents of the two organisations, Rajendra Azgaonkar and Vinod Shirodkar respectively asserted that they are fully supporting MMC’s drive against use of plastic bags and said even their members will go around imposing the ban on plastic carry bags. However, both demand withdrawal of the facility to disburse plastic bags after registering to do so.
Vinod Shirodkar argued that at least 565 of the 400 vendors in Margao New Market have already purchased plastic carry bags with the name of their establishments printed on them and while pointing out that some vendors have plastic carry bags to last for more than three months, demanded that they be given time to exhaust the stock already purchased.
“While it may be possible for big vendors and the malls to pay the registration fees as they will pass it on to the customers, most vendors in New Market will be hard hit as they cannot afford to pay such high registration fees,” he said.
While pointing out that the law is applicable for the entire country he demanded that the authorities first stop sale of soft drinks in plastic bottles and added that if plastic is harmful then even use of plastic above 50 microns should be banned.
“Maharashtra has stopped use of plastic below 50 microns all over the state and Goa should also do something like that,” he said suggesting that Goa should do something similar.
Rajendra Azgaonkar argued that the ban cannot be brought about overnight but needs time for implementation and suggested that the MMC do what is proposed in a phased manner and suggested that MMC first stop all vehicles supplying plastic carry bags from entering the city arguing that if there is no supply, vendors will not purchase plastic carry bags.
“Shopping is a culture and people are today accustomed to expecting a plastic carry bag from the shopkeeper. We shall have to inculcate the old culture of going to the market with a shopping bag,” he said.
Chief Officer Johnson Fernandes is determined to implement the order from April 1, 2018 and has prepared teams that will go around inspecting the markets. “I shall levy the fine of Rs 5000 and failure to pay that fine will result in an FIR being filed with the police,” he said adding that it will be up to the vendors to deal with the subsequent court matters.
