Hyderabad: Pointing out that the indiscriminate use of plastics was causing severe damage to the environment, the Forum for Good Governance (FGG) on Thursday requested Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to impose a ban on the manufacturing and marketing of single use plastic in Telangana.

The FGG President M Padamanabha Reddy said that the government of India instructed State governments to prepare a comprehensive action plan to phase out single use plastics. Accordingly, Telangana State issued orders vide GO. The instructions contained in the said GO could not be implemented due to various reasons. Every department of State government and Panchayat Raj institutions were made responsible to control the use of single use plastics (SUPs). The GO did not leave the unsuspecting common man. As per rule XI(ii), the individual will be levied a penalty of Rs 500 for carrying banned single use plastic items such as banners, buntings, flexies, flags, plates, cups, spoons, cling films, sheets used for spreading on dining tables and plastic carry bags of less than 120 microns in thickness.

The FGG president asked how a common man knows the bags, he was carrying was less than 120 microns. The GO is not realistic and not implementable. No department and local body have taken any action to implement the GO. The better way to control the use of single use plastic is to put a ban on manufacturing. Indiscriminate and unregulated use of plastics, particularly single use plastic is assuming alarming proposition in the State, whether it is in urban areas or rural areas, plastic carry bags, plates, tea cups are found littered everywhere which ultimately find their way into storm water drains sewage lines, choking them leading to obstruction of flow of rainwater, sewage. Plastic wastes which are thrown in agricultural lands and other areas remain non-biodegradable for many years affecting the recharge of ground water and soil fertility resulting in a drop in food grain production.

Keeping the severe damage by the plastic, especially single use plastics, Karnataka had imposed a ban on manufacture, supply, store, transport, distribution and use of single use plastic including the items made of thermocol in the entire State since there were alternatives made with biodegradable material.