Plastic ban falls flat as vendors, consumers blame each other

LUCKNOW: Even five days after the polythene ban came into effect across the state, shopkeepers and consumers are yet to do away with plastic bags and were even spotted openly flouting it thanks to lack of proper enforcement by Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC).
Most consumers were reluctant to buy expensive carry bags from shopkeepers or bring bags from their homes.

Even shopkeepers were seen hiding polythene bags in their shops and keeping cloth bags on shelves to mislead LMC officials.

When quizzed by TOI, both shopkeepers and consumers were quick to pass the blame on each other and appeared hesitant to take the onus for not using polythene.

Pramod Tewari, who was spotted buying a cloth piece from an Aminabad shop in a polythene bag, told TOI, “When shopkeepers are freely giving it, why shouldn’t the consumer take it? Why should we fear when shopkeepers have to pay fine.”

Many shopkeepers claimed that consumers insisted that they pack goods in polythene bags.

A fruit vendor in LDA Colony, Prajapatinath Pushpendra, said, “Despite the ban on polythene, consumers insist that we pack fruits in polythene they bring along.”

Vendors also said that available options were too expensive for them, considering their low margins.

Shailesh Maurya, a tea vendor near KGMU, said, “A lot of our orders from the hospital. Polythene is the easy option to pack tea. After the ban, most vendors hide poly bags and secretly pack tea in it. During raids, they say that they are selling tea in ‘kullhads’.” Residents also complained that LMC’s raids were not doing any good.

“LMC officials should check inside shops. Just skimming through the surface will not yield results. Most vendors are still not afraid and they hide polythene bags,” said Shailesh Sonkar, a resident of Patrakarpuram. Wholesalers said that they have old stock of banned polythene bags and discourage retailers from buying it.

“Despite warning, shopkeepers still buy them from us,” said a wholesale trader of polythene bags in Charbagh preferring anonymity.

(With inputs from Pranchal Srivastava, Triya Gulati and Aparnika Srivastava)