BJP welcomes CM Yogi’s bid to turn UP greener and plastic-free

The State BJP welcomed Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for banning the use of plastic material and promoting afforestation in a big way across the State.

The BJP said that the ban on use of plastic and call for ‘one person one tree’ affirmed the commitment of the CM for a clean environment and keeping rivers clean.

State BJP spokesman Rakesh Tripathi said that the rampant use of plastic was not only causing pollution, it was degrading the fertility of soil besides causing water logging in urban areas every year during monsoons.  

Tripathi said that plastic was not only a problem in urban areas it was also causing pollution in rural areas.  He said that the burning of plastic was also hugely adding to air pollution and global warming.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday had announced a ban on use of plastic material from July 15. This was the third attempt by the state government in nearly two decades to ban plastic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged to make India free of single-use plastic by 2022, and 29 of the states have a full or partial ban on use of plastic.However, the law is rarely enforced and UP government’s two previous attempts since 2015 have failed as local authorities fell short of implementing it, even after court orders.

Like in other states, plastic pollution has been a major contributor to pollution of UP’s rivers and urban areas were often strewn with plastic bags and bottles. The state government had also declared the area around Taj Mahal, a plastic-free zone.

The process of banning plastic in UP began in in 2000 but remained ineffective as there were multiple legislations and notifications for the ban.

In 2000, the UP Assembly passed ‘UP plastic and bio degradable waste Act, 2000’ which banned the use of plastic with less than 50 micron. Later in December, 2015, the notification issued by Environment department banned the use of all kinds of plastic. UP solid waste management policy also lays down ban on micro polythene. A notification issued by Union ministry of Forest and Environment also termed plastic material of less than 50 micron as hazardous. Myraid legislations and notifications made the issue complicated and was never actually enforced.

In November, 2016, the Allahabad High Court also directed for ban on plastic in the entire state. Following the order, the then Samajwadi Party government banned the use of plastic. In 2017, the ban on use of plastic was imposed again but it remained ineffective.

Energy minister Srikant Sharma said that the ban on plastic was mandatory for cleaning rivers. He said that pilgrims visiting holy towns use plastic in a big way and leave the waste on river banks which ultimately adds to pollution.