Merchants and industries cry foul over Maharashtra plastic ban

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], Apr 04 (ANI): The plastic ban in the state of Maharashtra, instated by the Chief Ministr Devendra Fadnavis led-government on March 23, has received mix reactions from various segments of the industry.

The impact of employment on the people earning their daily wages through the plastic industry is a cause of concern to many. The daily labourers have said the ban has not only caused them and their families to sleep on an empty stomach but has also put their future in jeopardy.

Some of them have been trained and are used to working only in the plastic industry. The concern also lies with the shop owners of plastic shops who are in a dilemma over what to do with the leftover materials.

The shopkeepers are also constantly under a cloud of fear of being harassed by local civic authorities for using or selling their plastic materials to local retailers. Apart from the plastic industry, the various industries directly or indirectly dependent on these industries for the packing and packaging of their products for sale are also concerned.

The Plastic industry has garnered support from various associations but the question of the fate of the plastic industry in the near future still concerns them. Plastic retailers at Masjid Bunder in Mumbai have shut their shops indefinitely and have placed banners outside their shops protesting against the ban.

Rajesh Malde, a plastic retailer, who has also joined the cause and closed his shop, striking a notice on it in protest against the Plastic Ban.

"The Government's Resolution mentions a complete ban on plastic that too with immediate effect, although no alternative or substitute was given to us. The resolution says that we are allowed to sell our balance stock to other states within a period of one month. The Government should understand that for some goods there can't be alternative to plastic, we are in for a pollution-free Maharashtra but our side should also be heard," said Malde. (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI