Maharastra To Ban All Plastic From 18 March 

The Maharastra state environment department has conveyed its decision to ban all plastic materials like polythene bags, cups, flags and thermocol items like plates, cups, glasses etc. from 18 March, Indian Express has reported.

The ban will be enforced on manufacturers and users both, across rural and urban Maharastra, with fines ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000 and a jail term of upto three months.

The decision to enforce the ban from Gudi Padwa, which falls on 18 March, was taken on Tuesday (13 March) by the Devendra Fadnavis cabinet. Local municipal units and officials will be responsible for enforcing the ban.

A senior official associated with the development said, “The government has taken the decision to get rid of use of plastic in two phases. A short-term and a long-term policy have been drafted to tackle the plastic menace.

All the small and medium-scale industries and big industries which are involved in plastic businesses would be provided an adequate time frame to switch over to alternative modes of businesses.”

There are also provisions to reward those who strictly adhere to the ban to encourage people to switch to alternative means.