On paper, a ban on polythene bags exists in Bihar’s Capital, but on the ground… things are different.

Plastic bags are used widely in Patna even after the ban. The Bihar government banned plastic bags on 14 December 2018 in urban areas. the Police and Municipal Corporation are also supposed to take actions against the use of polythene bags.

Yet Polythene bags are easily accessible and shops and roadside vendors are using them to package their goods.

Recently a campaign was started to stop polythene bags and in this process huge amount of polythene bags were seized from 418 shops from different parts of Patna. Abouyt 36.1 KGs of such bags were seized and Rs 44,900 collected as fine from different shops.

Ultra thin plastic or polyurethane bags are already banned in different parts of our country. Bihar has only banned plastics bags in its urban areas. But still the government machinery has failed to implement the ban.

Grocery shops and vegetables sellers are mostly put products these cheap polythene bags and hand them to customers. The questions arises here that how polythene bags are coming to Patna? Because In Patna manufacturing and distribution is also banned by the government. So without the help of local police Plastic bags trucks could not enter in the city. So it is also a big reason to worry for the Bihar government.

“Most of the time people do not carry bags and when they come to buy vegetables they demand for polythene bags. That’s why we are forced to sell products in the polythene bags”, a vegetable seller Suresh Kumar said. The vegetable sellers buy the polythene bags, and add on the cost to the rate of vegetables. So they also increase the price of vegetables.

This is the same case with the Grocery Shops.

“People feel easy to take products in polythene bags, Most of the time they do not carry their own bags. I don’t know the real reason. But when I say that I do not have polythene bag, please bring it. Then they move to another shop and buy the product. That’s why we have to keep polythene bags”, a grocery shop owner in Rajiv Nagar said.

Any campaign and ban will be successful if the citizens support it but in this case situation is very different. Most people do not carry their own bags and demand carry bags from the sellers; if this situation continues then it will become very difficult to control the pollution in Patna.

Rohit Kumar, BMC 5 Semester, ST Xavier’s College of Mgmt & Tech, Patna

  environment, letters, Patna, plastic