Vendors blame customer choice for violation of polythene ban

Despite the ban on the use of polythene bags in Dehradun, the shop owners and roadside vendors continue to use the banned items. Most of them blame the customers stating that it is due to the continued demand of the customers for such carry bags that they have continued to use the polythene bags.

A tea seller in Nehru Colony area said “Some of my customers order tea for their offices. I have no alternative to polythene bags which are cheap and durable enough to carry the hot tea.” A fruit seller nearby said, “Alternatives like paper bags are comparatively weaker and can hold about one kilogramme of fruit while a polythene can carry upto six kilogrammes. Most customers do not being their own carry bags and ask for the polthene,” he added. A vegetable shop owner not wanting to be named said, “I use both polythene and synthetic bags but customers do not pay extra for the synthetic carry bag and demand polythene carry bag instead.” Another roadside vendor opined that the government must provide a practical alternative to polythene. “It will not bother us to use that particular substitute. Polythene is being used so much as it is lightweight, water resistant and economical. It is not that easy to get rid of of the polythene as it has become a part of lives for most people,” he opined.