The Shiv Sena is pushing hard for a complete ban on plastic, with Yuva Sena chief Aditya Thackeray meeting civic chief Ajoy Mehta on Tuesday to discuss the issue as well as the alternatives that can be used in the markets and other establishments of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). This is the second time that the chief of the Sena's youth wing has advocated a blanket ban on plastic bags in the city.
Even in the first week of September, he had called for a complete ban on plastic bags in the wake of the August 29 deluge in the city which was aggravated by plastic litter blocking drains.
Thackeray tweeted about his meeting with the BMC chief on Tuesday afternoon. He had tagged Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar in his tweet at the time and requested him to consider a complete ban on plastic in Mumbai. He had tweeted that Mayor Mahadeshwar had assured him of taking the issue further.
A senior Shiv Sena leader said that Ramdas Kadam, the state environment minister and his fellow Sena man, has already put up the proposal before the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) in Delhi for approval. Once the ministry clears the proposal, the state government can go ahead with a complete ban.
At present, there is already a ban in Maharashtra on plastic bags less than 50 microns in thickness. But both the BJP and Shiv Sena, which share power in the state and city, have been advocating a blanket ban.
According to the BMC, discarded plastic bags and thermocol glasses and dishes were responsible for the severe waterlogging seen across the city on August 29, as they choked drains and prevented free flow of rainwater. The city had received around 315 mm rainfall that day, the highest received in a single day in Mumbai since the July 26, 2005, deluge.
Earlier, Swapna Mhatre, a BJP corporator from Pali Hill in Bandra, had also moved a notice of motion in August, demanding a complete ban on use plastic bags in the city to protect the environment. The proposal was also cleared by the general body, and would be sent to the state government for approval.
