Plastic Free India: Telangana CS neglects ban on single-use plastic

Hyderabad: Forum for Good Governance on Wednesday requested the governor and chief secretary of Telangana government to take action to impose a total ban on single-use plastics like carrying bags, banners, buntings, flexies, plates, cups, spoons, cling films, sheets (used for spreading on dining tables) etc.

M Padmanabha Reddy, Secretary of Forum for Good Governance in an official note to Governor of Telangana said, “Forum for Good Governance made a representation to Chief Secretary, Government of Telangana with a request to examine imposing total ban on the single-use plastics in the state and encourage biodegradable alternatives, as indiscriminate and unregulated use of plastics, particularly single-use carry bags is assuming alarming proportion.”

“So far there is no response from Chief Secretary, Telangana,” Padmanabha Reddy mentioned in the letter to the Governor of Telangana.

Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the people to make India plastic-free. He said, “people from all stakes of the society should celebrate Gandhi Jayanthi this year a day to make ‘Mother India Plastic-free’.”

Forum for Good Governance on April 27 has written a letter to Chief Secretary, Telangana requesting to take action to impose a total ban on single-use plastics including Thermocol.

According to Forum for Good Governance, Karnataka has banned the manufacture of single-use plastics. Maharashtra is strictly enforcing the ban, and the results are quite positive.

In 2001, a G.O. was issued banning manufacture, sale and usage of carrying bags less than 20-micron thickness. Again in 2013, a revised G.O. was issued stating “No person shall manufacture, stock, distribute or sell any carry bags made of virgin or recycled plastics which is less than 40-micron thickness. In 2016, again, Government of India issued plastic management rules, 2016 that states 50 microns thickness carry bags are banned.

Government of India announced to ban six plastic items from October 2 on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.