Plastic bags reappear in Jamshedpur markets, truck-load of banned item seized

JAMSHEDPUR: Defying the complete ban on plastic bags, which was imposed in Jharkhand in 2017 by the Raghubar Das government, those are again being widely used in Jamshedpur.
After the ban was imposed, the traders stopped using plastic bags but with the passage of time and taking advantage of the loopholes in proper monitoring the bags slyly made a comeback.
At first the traders in the Steel City suburbs like Jadugora, Moubhandar and Mousaboni started using the plastic bags then slowly and steadily it reappeared in the city markets.
As the price of the plastic bags are cheaper than their alternatives, traders always preferred to go back to this product to save money.
Traders to save their skins alleged that customers do not have the habit of carrying bags and always instigated the traders to give them the purchased products in plastic bags.
Environmentalists feel that the re-surfacing of plastic bags in Steel City market would adversely affect the eco-system. They demanded that immediately state government should look into the matter and ask enforcement agencies to properly implement the ban.
Notably, East Singhbhum district administration which often denies the fact that plastic bags are being again used if the city were dumbstruck when a large consignment of plastic bags were seized in the city on Saturday.
Sources said a truck laden with around 110 sacks packed with plastic bags were seized in Golmuri area. The truck had brought the plastic bags worth around Rs 4 lakh from Kolkata. Sources said the truck driver and his helper have been arrested by the city police.
Sources added that the consignment was to be delivered in Golmuri and Jugsalai area. On getting a tip off officials from JNAC reached the spot. A fine has been imposed on the godown owner, said sources. The godown has been sealed by the civic body authorities.