Shopkeepers cry foul, allege wrongful action by ‘confused’ civic inspectors

PUNE: Several retailers on Monday alleged of being harassed by civic inspectors for items not “falling under the ambit of the plastic ban”.


The owner of a stationery store in Shivajinagar said the civic inspectors told him that plastic folders, the ones used to keep papers, were also banned. “They also claimed that items like lamination pouches also came under the ban ambit. When I showed them the eco-friendly logo behind the files, the inspectors said they would get more information on the items and inspect the shop again,” he said, adding that the government has done little to educate retailers and other stakeholders about the banned items.

At a city-based eatery, sources said the civic inspectors seized aluminum foil and paper containers. “Even the inspectors do not know what is banned and what is not. They took away all this material and were demanding a fine for it. They returned the items when higher authorities intervened,” the owner of the eatery said.

Sachin Nivangune, president of the Pune District Retail Traders’ Association, said, “A food shop on Sinhagad Road was subjected to PMC action for covering their food stuff with plastic trays. A handloom shop in the same area had to bear the brunt of the civic officials for bedsheets that had come wrapped in plastic from the manufacturers’ end.”

As per the government notification, plastic packaging from the manufacturer’s end doesn’t fall under the plastic ban ambit.

Suresh Jagtap, head of Pune Municipal Corporation's solid waste management wing, refuted all the allegations. “These are tactics being employed by a section to divert attention from the issue. The ban does not apply to stationery items and our inspectors know about it. They have been given the list of items has have been banned, so there is no question of any confusion,” he said.

Sources from a dairy in Shukrawar Peth alleged that PMC inspectors had seized dairy products’ packing bags over 50 micron in thickness from the dairy recently. When asked about this, Jagtap clarified that food grade virgin plastic bags not less than 50 micron thickness used for packaging of milk were allowed. “However, on such plastic bags, the dairy owners should clearly print the price for buy back for recycling. If such details are not printed on these bags, they will have to be seized too,” he said.