150 plastic manufacturing units in State sealed

PUNE: The plastic manufacturing units all over Maharashtra are upset with the State government, as the government has sealed 150 units in the State, including 40 units in Pune after they failed to comply or register with the Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR). The owners of the units are blaming the State for not giving proper guidelines to register for the EPR mechanism. 

It all started when State Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam was travelling to Shirdi on October 22 and he came across a truck near Chakan, which was carrying banned plastic items. On the same night, he conducted a surprise raid at two plastic manufacturing units in Chakan, Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) area and seized 225 metric tonnes of banned plastic bubble sheets. Following this, similar several raids were conducted all over the State.

Kadam told Sakal Times, “Most of the manufacturing companies have not developed a buyback and recycling mechanism, i.e., EPR, even after the extended deadline (September 30) and till date, there was no mechanism developed by these manufacturers, so we have now started raiding the manufacturing units and it will continue.”

Principal Secretary at State Environment Department Anil Diggikar told Sakal Times, “From over a week, Environment Department, along with Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), are raiding plastic units as they have not registered with the EPR mechanism. The raids will be continued further.”

President of the Maharashtra Plastic Manufacturers’ Association Ravi Jashnani said, “The State government has seized 150 plastic units all over Maharashtra under the reason that these plastic manufacturing units have not registered with the EPR mechanism, also they have seized some units under the reason that the units are manufacturing banned plastic items when they are not carrying out such activity.”

“The State introduced the EPR in June and the deadline was September 30. From the time they introduced the EPR, we have been telling the State government to give guidelines about it because nothing is clear over the EPR mechanism and that is the reason we are not able to register or comply with the EPR mechanism. We have also submitted files of guidelines to the State (since the State government is helping us) and some of them have even registered under the EPR mechanism, but they have not approved it and now they are holding us responsible for not getting the approval with the EPR mechanism or not registering with it. This is not our mistake and yet we are held responsible for everything,” Jashnani added. 

A plastic unit at Talegaon-Chakan Road has been seized by the State government officials on October 26 for not complying with the EPR. Managing Director of Pradeep Laminates, based on Talegaon-Chakan Road, Rajkumar Agarwal said, “On Friday, the State government officials from Mumbai came up to our unit and seized it suddenly. Almost thousands of workers, working in our unit, have been affected due to it. We are into manufacturing flexible packaging laminates and it does not come under the plastic banned items. Also, the EPR should be for the brand owners and not for us as we do not produce any wastage we only produce and supply it to the brand owners.”

Pramod Shah, owner of Suyash Enterprises in the city said, “We have closed down our company under the fear of surprise raid and seizing the unit by the government officials. In Pune, the State government has sealed almost 40 units. This is an injustice as the State government had not given enough time to register for EPR but there were no proper set guidelines for it so it was confusing and the government did not even pay attention to our problems and now blaming us for everything.”

Jashnani further added, “Neither Kadam nor any other official from MPCB is ready to meet us. This is a clear injustice.”

RAIDS TO CONTINUE
Principal Secretary at State Environment Department Anil Diggikar told Sakal Times, “From over a week, Environment Department, along with Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, is raiding plastic units as they have not registered with the EPR mechanism. The raids will continue.”