BMC seizes over 2 tonnes of plastic in nine days

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) seized over two tonnes of banned single-use plastic and collected over Rs 29 lakh in fines from shopkeepers in the last nine days, a civic official said on Wednesday.

At least 2,253 kg of single-use plastic was seized from 29,216 establishments between March 1 to 9 and collected fines to the tune of over Rs 29 lakh, he said.

In a bid to make Mumbai free of single-use plastic by May 1 as directed by the Maharashtra government, the civic body launched a drive from February 29, the official said.

On March 2, BMC officials had raided over 4,000 shops, seized 1,029 kg of plastic, the highest during the drive, and collected fines to the tune of Rs 3.75 lakh from errant traders, he said.

As per a statement issued by the civic body, a fine of Rs 5,000 will be imposed on those who are caught with single-use plastic for the first time, while second-time offenders will be fined Rs 10,000. Anyone who is caught for the third time will have to shell out Rs 25,000 and can also be jailed for three months, it said.