Maharashtra has clamped down on plastics with all its might. First time offenders will be fined Rs 5,000, while a second offence will carry a penalty of Rs 10,000. Third-time violators will have to shell out a hefty sum of Rs 25,000 along with an imprisonment term of three months. These fines, if enforced seriously, are enough to discourage even permissible plastic out of the market.
Goa has been following a relatively unpredictable approach to plastic so far. Several deadlines have been imposed and forgotten. The latest was a May 30 date set by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, much before he took ill. It was very encouraging to see both the Corporation of City of Panaji and Margao Municipal Council warm up to the ban and swing into action two months ahead of the scheduled date. There was this brief period where plastic bags below 50 microns were off the markets and super stores.
However, as the D-day approached it all fizzled with no word from the government and the plastic bags resurfaced. It was only after Parrikar returned from his US treatment that the people got to hear that the plastic ban is being deferred to December 2018. The chief minister was candid enough to announce that it could not be implemented due to his absence. This justification sounds hollow for the fact that the chief minister and his three-member CAC team claimed to have executed each and every decision, to a point of even clearing all files. Where was the hitch going ahead with the plastic ban? Was Parrikar’s presence so crucial that even a plastic ban could not be followed up by his ‘efficient’ team back home?
The government has not shown any intent and seriousness in implementing the ban and this reflects in the half-a-dozen missed deadlines which are set at every Liberation day and Republic day platforms. If Goa has to be liberated from plastic, the government should pick cues from Maharashtra and enforce the ban in all seriousness. Goalposts cannot shift because of the powerful lobby which is backing this trade.
Government must also factor in the alternatives which could be provided to the common man. There was a time when Parrikar very strongly fancied starch-based bags which are eco-friendly in nature. The idea caught every one’s attention only to fizzle out when it came to light that the raw material required to produce these bags has to be imported from countries like France and the cost of these bags could burn a small hole in the pockets of the common man. With no other suitable options at hand, government has to immediately settle for cloth bags which are not only reusable, but also environment-friendly and economical considering its re-usage.
Enforcement has always been an issue with the State and the lax systems have been fully exploited with scant regard shown to the laws of the land. If Goa has the will to go plastic-free, it should follow the Maharashtra template and deal with violators with an iron hand, otherwise this ban will always remain an unfulfilled promise, like the many others.
