NASHIK: In a stricter action, Nashik Municipal Corporation has imposed complete ban on the use of single-use plastic in the city. “It has been decided to completely ban the use of plastic in the municipal limits and it has been directed that the concerned authorities and officials should take comprehensive action in this regard. Any such banned plastic of any thickness or length, its use, sale, storage is strictly prohibited within the municipal limits,” warned Municipal Commissioner and Administrator Ramesh Pawar and ordered to take action against the violators. He chaired a special meeting yesterday.
The first meeting of the state level task force committee was held yesterday at Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan under the chairmanship of Municipal Commissioner Ramesh Pawar regarding imposition of total ban on all types of single use plastics, its sale and storage,
The meeting was attended by additional municipal commissioner Ashok Atram, municipal education officer Sunita Dhangar, superintendent engineer Shivaji Chavan, director (solid waste management) Dr. Awesh Palod and representatives of Maharashtra Pollution Control Board.
In this meeting, the Municipal Commissioner and the Administrator reviewed the current situation regarding the single-use plastic.
In accordance with the points and suggestions submitted by the officers to the various departments present in the meeting and also as per the Maharashtra Plastics and Notification 2018, the Commissioner has issued orders for imposition of complete ban on plastics in the city and its effective implementation.
Explaining the rationale behind the decision to completely ban the use of all types of single use plastics in the city, the Commissioner said that any single-use plastic waste would create various problems in the handling of civic solid waste and would incur huge financial burden.
The burning of such non-degradable waste in the open or at waste disposal sites can lead to various diseases in human beings and adversely affect public health. Also, the possibility of flood-like conditions in cities due to the plastic waste getting stuck in drains and gutters cannot be ruled out.
Such plastic waste causes pollution in river basins or various water sources. In addition to the impact on biodiversity, such plastic waste adversely affects the ecosystem services in natural places such as tourism, agriculture, forests and ecosystems.
The use of such plastics is also a barrier to the implementation of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Swachh Survekshan criteria. Citizens, institutions, offices, shops, hotels, canteens, milk vendors, vegetable vendors and all other establishments in the city should not use, sell or store any type of such plastics, he said and further appealed that Nashikites should cooperate to maintain the public health, hygiene and beauty of the city
