Udupi: Plastic bag dealers submit appeal to DC on ban

By Snehalatha, Udupi
Bellevision Media Network

Udupi, 09 August 2011: Plastic bags which are less than 40 microns thick are banned in Udupi city from 1st August 2011. Dealers of plastic bags submitted a appeal to the Deputy Commissioner on Monday to give concession to the grocery filling bags from this ban. As per the law the plastic bags which are less than 40 microns thick are banned.
 

But the Environment and Forest department had amended this law on 2nd July and banned only the carry bags which are less than 40 microns and exempted sealed packing plastic bags used for filling groceries and polypropylene bags. As per this amended law the plastic carry bags only are to be banned and not the grocery and   polypropylene bags, mentioned in the appeal.
 
This concession has been already implemented in South Kenara district where also the plastic bags are banned, and accordingly these bags are being sold in the shops there. Similarly in Udupi also this concession is to be given, mentioned in the appeal. Also, the officers had raided the shops in Udupi city and taken into possession the plastic bags, those grocery bags which are less than 40 micron thick are not actually banned and are to be returned back to the respective shops, it is urged.
 
Since 1st August the officers had raided the shops in Udupi city and taken into possession about 600 – 800 kg of 40 micron thick plastic bags from more than ten shops. But in the Udupi market and fish market the bags which are less than 40 micron thick are being openly sold and the officers are not taken any action on this, said the dealers with anger.
 
Among the dealers of the plastic bags who submitted the appeal to DC were; Janardhana C.K., Arun, Dinesh Shenoy, Gururaya Pai, Ramesh Sherigar, B. Damodara Nayak, Sukesh, Ravindranatha Prabhu, Jagadish Kamath, Venkatesha Bhaktha and others were present. Deputy Commissioner M.T. Reju assured them that he will look into the appeal and the issue.