No doubt that the government has banned the polythene bags and one time use plastic items but the lethargy of the concerned officials has failed the initiative because today also many shopkeepers and the consumers are using the same without any fear of law and law implementing agencies.
In this regard, it is unfortunate that all the efforts of Jammu Municipal Corporation to get rid of these most dangerous pollutants of the current times have failed as still these items rule the roost and are the first choice of shopkeepers as well as their customers. Although the Municipal Corporation off and on is executing anti-plastic and anti-polythene drives but it is an open secret that the same are namesake with no intention to end the menace as at the end of the day the employees Challaning the defaulters all day long take home grocery and other things in the same polythene bags which have been banned and till date people consuming liquor and other drinks while on move use plastic glasses which are supposed to be extinct as they come under the ban on one time use plastic.
Pertinent to mention here that Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had strictly imposed ban on manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of identified single use plastic items, which have low utility and high littering potential, all across the country from July 1, 2022. As per the reports of J&K Pollution Control Board, Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory nearly generated 51,710.60 tons of plastic waste every year.
It seems that something has gone wrong in the implementation part of the ban and government should revisit its strategy to contain the menace because simply by having a glance on JMC’s garbage bins or the city corners used for dumping the filth one can gauge the fact that the banned items are very much in use and the government will have to shun sluggishness to implement the aforesaid ban in letter and spirit, to help big cities and towns get rid of these pollutants which in the long have the potential to devastate environment beyond the boundaries of countries, continents and other dividing lines.
It is known to one and all that the enthusiasm which the civic agencies in J&K showed earlier has also faded away but the monstrous heaps of garbage comprising mostly the polythene bags found in every nook and corner tell a sordid tale of people giving two hoots to the problem which at the very first place is of the prime concern to them only. The hide and seek game between the traders and concerned authorities over the usage of polythene bags and one time use plastic has ended up with authorities surrendering before people as there was no respite from the problem.
