Hyderabad, July 01: The ban on plastic carry bags below 40-micron thickness comes into effect in the city from Friday.
Sources said that enforcement teams of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation will raid plastic manufacturing units, dealers, distributors and whole-sellers, besides major malls and markets, in the first few days after the ban coming into effect.
The civic body is likely to go slow against retail commercial establishments, particularly tiffin centres, eateries and restaurants in the first week as the managements of a majority of retail shops, showrooms and kirana stores in the city had complained that their shops had not been supplied with above-40 micron plastic carry bags by their distributors despite repeated requests.
The general secretary of Hyderabad Secunderabad Retailers’ Association, Mr Dilip Kumar Pansari, said about 600 shop owners who are members of the association have displayed banners and posters in front of their shops in support of the plastic carry bag ban. “We are also requesting our customers to bring their own cloth bags until we get supply of above-40 micron plastic carry bags,” he said.
However, petty traders running chicken and mutton shops and other small establishments in lanes and by-lanes are not even aware about the ban.
The GHMC additional commissioner (health and sanitation), Mr Aleem Basha, said the focus will be on ensuring that production of below-40 micron carry bags is brought to a complete halt.
This will automatically result in the retail market not getting non-permissible plastic carry bags, Mr Basha said.