The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has seized more than 2,000 kg of banned plastic in the last two-and-half months and collected Rs16 lakh in fines from the shops and dealers using banned and single use plastic.
The civic body revived the drive against banned plastic on July 1. Civic teams of markets, shops and establishment and license departments are frequently inspecting malls, supermarkets and shops. In the second phase, the civic body has decided to focus on gatherings where there are more chances of plastic being used.
"We have taken legal action against 318 violators till September 14. Now we will involve the health department as well in the drive while inspecting caterers and event organisers," said a senior civic official. Also, the civic authorities are in talks with an NGO to recycle the plastic which is lying in the BMC's warehouse.
In 2018, the state government passed a law banning the use of single-use plastic. The civic body actively implemented the law with the seizure of 1 lakh kg of plastic. Also, Rs 5,53,90,000 was collected in fines, which usually range between Rs 5,000-25,000 per violation. According to the law, violators could also be imprisoned for three months if required.
