#Plastic #Ban #Pollution

#Plastic  :  Refusing  to  fade  away

 

A few weeks back , Maharashtra Government banned all sorts of plastic packaging materials

This was ( as expected ) followed by protests , not only from users but also from manufacturers / dealers etc

Then the plastic manufacturers challenged the ban in High Court ( hearing was to start on 4^th April )

Not surprising since , in Maharashtra , there are :

*    950  bottle units

*   455 plastic bag / container units

*   4000 – 5000 other units engaged in processing of plastic packaging

Between them , these units employ some 4 – 5 lakh persons , whose jobs are threatened and have annual turnover of around , Rs 4,000 crore

Since announcement of the ban , hardly a day passes without the government coming out with some fresh announcement / clarification / notification / amendment / withdrawal / suspension etc

No one seems to have a grip on the situation !

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REASON  ?

It is simple .  Apparently . no one in Maha Govt  had worked out a clear cut – and long term – plan called :

“ STEP by STEP , DISMANTLING  of the PLASTIC  INDUSTRY over 20 YEARS “,

Which sharply laid out ,

“ WHO will STOP doing WHAT , and WHEN “

And published it , way back , in 2000

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Today’s chaos / heartburn / anger / frustration ( among users and manufacturers ) is entirely due to this , “ Pathetic Lack of Long Range Planning “

And , believe me , 20 years from now , history will repeat , when Health Minister in the Central Government suddenly wakes up and tells his Ministry Secretary :

“ Cigarettes and tobacco are causing 12 million pre-mature deaths in India ( - current figure is 6 million )

Release a “ fatwah “ , banning all tobacco products , within next 6 months “

If we want to avoid repetition of history , I urge today’s Health Minister to read :

Going Upin Smoke ?  [  18  Aug  2013   ]

https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2013/08/going-up-in-smoke.html

If he does , he will have also figured out what alternate jobs to provide for :

*  380 lakh workers engaged by tobacco industry

*  25 lakh pan-beedi shop walas

06  April  2018

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs