If you're still wondering why the ubiquitous thin plastic bag continues to be in circulation, here's why. The state government's March 8 notification banning plastic bags has been superseded by the Union government's ban on the bag just six months later, on September 2 this year.Important differences between the two notifications have delayed implementation of the ban, say state environment department officials. For instance, the state government's earlier notification had empowered municipal authorities for enforcing the ban and taking action against dealers under the Environment Protection Act. The Central notification, called the Recyled Plastics Manufacture and Usage Rules 1999, gives the powers to the collector and state pollution control boards and calls for co-operation between the two to weed out thin plastic bags.``It's just like the state water act of 1969 which was superseded by the Central Water Act of 1974, only here the period has been quicker,'' said an environment department official. ``What we did (the state notification) was ultimately of no use, but at least it showed how keen the state was on banning thin plastic bags,'' he said.The state department which had begun co-ordinating with the BMC, specifically their shop inspectors, to enforce the ban since March had to call off its efforts when the new Central notification came into force. It is yet to get its new act together.``But now since we know the regulating authorities, we are discussing their roles and tying up with MPCB and collectorate officials to enforce the notification,'' said principal secretary, environment, Pramod Deo.Among other important differences, the Central notification bans bags thinner than 20 microns, both virgin or plastic. The state government notification had set a minimum thickness of 25 microns. But establishing the thickness of these bags is proving a headache. While authorised manufacturers have been asked by the Central notification to stamp the exact thickness of the bags on the marketable packs, it's the booming unauthorised sector that manufactures a majority of these thin bags without any such guidelines.``We have no way of determining the exact thickness of these bags, so we have decided to fix a weight for, say, a pack of 100 bags,'' Deo said, adding such a ready reckoner was still being worked out.``We want to enter the new millennium by banning the bag,'' he said, adding the bags would be banned within this month.But ultimately, it's a social problem and only public awareness can really help ban the bag. ``The popularity of the bags has to do with the convenience they offer both buyer and seller. It's question of making people aware as no amount of notifications by the government can help ban it if the people continue using and asking for it,'' says director, environment department, Shailesh Kumar Sharma.
