Plastic smiles wiped out: A 40-year-old business goes kaput

Nagpur: Still in his early 20s, Turkesh, once employed in a plastic straw manufacturing unit is now struggling to earn some money by offloading sacks of grains and vegetables at Cotton Market. Not used to picking up such heavy loads, he now smokes marijuana to get the strength to do this work.
“I was a helper and even though straws were in big bundles, they were of light weight. I am not used to this kind of dirty and heavy work which I have to do now,” says Turkesh who has recently been laid off by the factory owner.

Turkesh’s employer Sunil Nahata had no option but to shut his unit as “my unit was manufacturing everything that has been put in the list of banned plastic item”. “I continued to have the workers for the past six months, but this month I had no option but stop operations completely,” he says. “Even the autorickshaw drivers who delivered our goods to retailers are facing loss of business. I feel sorry for all of us,” says his son Shrenik.

“Crime is bound to increase now that so many people have lost their jobs after the closing of scores of plastic goods manufacturing units,” adds Nahata.

His unit manufactured items like disposable plastic plates, bowls, straws and glasses. “I had imported a machine from China and had installed it on March 19. The notification of ban came on March 23,” he says upset with the government for not giving sufficient time to the manufacturers.

Nahata, who has a bank loan of Rs20 lakhs, says he is not against the ban. “At least give us five years to cover our costs and look for an alternate business. I have paid Rs8 lakhs as duty and excise, GST on the existing inventory and am holding goods worth Rs17 lakh which has no takers now.”

Nahata’s firm has a Rs12 lakh outstanding in the market which his buyers are not willing to pay. “They are asking me to take back the goods,” he says.

Suraj Bopache, who worked as an operator in Nahata’s unit, is now sitting idle. “I had undergone training to operate the machine but now there is no employment. This was the month when we were waiting for increments,” he says.

Nahata has been in the business for 40 years. “My younger son who was taking care of sales and marketing for the past six years is extremely depressed now,” says Nahata who wants the government to write off the previous loans and give them interest-free ones to start new businesses.