On June 23, 2018 India’s second most populous state Maharashtra became the 18th state to ban plastic. As consumers, sellers, manufacturers ditched plastic items following the ban, eco-friendly alternatives like cloth bags, paper cups, edible cutlery made their way in on the first day of the ban. While officials in Mumbai opted for a lenient approach, educating and warning people about the newly imposed ban, officials in cities like Nagpur and Pune went all out and fined people possessing banned plastic items.
However, not everyone got off lightly. Some big eateries in the tony suburb of Bandra, including a Starbucks and McDonald’s outlet, faced action for plastic articles found on their premises. A senior official said three such outlets were fined Rs. 5,000 each, while the fast-food outlet would face further proceedings as it refused to pay up. In the neighbouring districts of Thane and Navi Mumbai, the official machinery kicked off the drive in earnest — 100 people were fined Rs. 95,000 for violations in Thane, while Rs. 35,000 was collected in fines at Navi Mumbai and plastic goods seized. The Panvel City Municipal Corporation even penalised the Kharghar-based DAV School’s canteen for using plastic spoons and glasses.
“The highest number of violations were found around the main markets and railway station. A lot of vegetable vendors and hawkers were let off with warnings as it was only the first day of the ban,” Thane Municipal Corporation spokesperson Sandeep Malvi said.