Ignorance, apathy continue to thwart its purpose

With nearly a month passing since the authorities apparently stepped up enforcement of the ban on polythene bags and polystryene disposables, lack of awareness among the buyers and sellers remains a major problem thwarting the efforts aimed at enforcing the ban effectively in Dehradun.

To address this issue the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun has come up with a short video 3.24 minutes long, which provides information about the enforcement drive and work done in this campaign so far. Also, it exhorts the public to go for alternatives like cloth bags and focuses on the need to keep the city clean and plastic-free.

Highlighting the reach of social media, the city's additional municipal commissioner Neeraj Joshi said “We have already developed a video for awareness and are focusing on sharing it on the social media. Along with this, we are also planning to make another video which will be played in all the cinema halls and multiplexes before the start of the movie”

Explaining the problem being faced in the enforcement drive, senior city health officer and in charge of the drive,  Dr RK Singh said, “During a recent visit to the bazaar, we came across shopkeepers and traders who gave us excuses stating that they were using 'good quality' polythene.  The main problem we face in enforcing this ban is lack of knowledge and apathy among the people.

Most of the buyers and sellers either don’t know or don’t care about it which is very sad to know. Only a small proportion of the public is aware of the ban which is not enough to make it successful until and unless every individual observes it with serious concern.”

He further said that the municipal corporation had also tried to collaborate with social groups active in Dehradun to raise awareness on the prohibition and alternatives to polythene.

Meanwhile, the additional commissioner of Garhwal, Harak Singh Rawat said that the enforcement of the prohibition was being implemented successfully in all the parts of Uttarakhand.

Efforts are also being made to stop the manufacturers and sellers from making and distributing polythene bags, he added.

Talking about the problem faced implementing the prohibition across the Garhwal region he said, “Shopkeepers not only in Dehradun but in different other parts of Uttarakhand have protested against the prohibition as they seem to care more about their 'earnings' rather than the law. Lack of awareness and sense of responsibility among the people for protecting the environment is where our society lacks which has created many problems. Plastic is a product which cannot be removed from our surroundings very easily.

But measures have been taken by us and the drive is being carried out and I believe that we will reach our goal soon enough,” he added