The first set of receipts issued by the Mahaarashtra government after the plastic ban was imposed on Saturday are out.
The receipts that were issued in Mumbai, Pune, Thane and Nashik have charged the guilty persons Rs 5,000 for violating the ban.
See the pictures here
The Maharashtra government's state-wide ban on the use of plastic items, including carry-bags and thermocol, came into effect from Saturday.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told PTI that the plastic ban can succeed only if all the stake-holders support the move.
"We want to promote responsible use of plastic. Therefore, we have banned the kind of plastic that cannot be collected, regulated and recycled," he said.
The chief minister said that the ban puts the onus on the polluters, but at the same time some exceptions have been made so that businesses are not hampered till alternatives have a strong presence in the market.
On March 23, the state government had imposed a ban on manufacturing, use, sale, distribution and storage of plastic materials such as one-time-use bags, spoons, plates, PET and PETE bottles and thermocol items.
The government had given three months time for the disposal of the existing stocks.
All kinds of plastic bags, irrespective of their thickness, tea cups, glasses, thermocol glasses, thermocol used for decoration, plastic used in hotels to parcel food like boxes, spoons have been banned from today, state Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam said.
"The first time offenders will have to pay a fine of Rs 5,000; Rs 10,000 if caught for the second time and Rs 25,000 along with a jail term of three months for third time offence," he said.
Hailing the ban, Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray said although people will have to face some difficulty initially, they will get used to it over the time.
"This decision will change the destiny of our future generations. I am sure this decision taken by the government will serve as an example for the entire world," he said.
Thackeray said work towards the ban on plastic was initiated in August last year, when it was found that plastic had led to major water-logging in Mumbai following continuous downpour.
With PTI Inputs
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