Aurangabad, Dec 3:
The Maharashtra government has banned plastic carry bags with a thickness of less than 50 microns. The municipal administration is working hard to stop the use of banned carry bags in the city. Yet, carry bags worth lakhs of rupees are being smuggled into the city from Waluj and cantonment for distribution in the city.
The municipal corporation has formed an independent team to ensure that plastic carry bags with a thickness of less than 50 microns are not used in the city. The team takes action against four to five traders daily. Also, each trader is fined Rs 5,000 each. Even after this, traders and small traders are using banned caribags. In this regard, Nandkishore Bhombe, head of the municipal solid waste department, said that so far at least 500 to 600 traders have been penalized and more than Rs 30 lakh has been recovered. Criminal charges have been filed against two traders. However, traders continue to use restricted carry bags despite repeated instructions. Goods come directly from Gujarat. The goods are then kept in the cantonment area and in few godowns at Waluj. The goods are gradually brought to the city by two-wheelers. In the past, the goods were sold in shops. The mafia that got into this business has now changed the method of selling.
Plastic bags in garbage
The garbage collected from the city, it is taken to the processing centers at Chikalthana and Padegaon. The garbage contains a large quantity of plastic bags. This causes a lot of hassle while processing the waste. Carry bags are also found in large numbers in the nallas of the city.