Plastic ban begins, but Hyderabad sees little change as vendors continue with business as usual on day 1 | Hyderabad News

HYDERABAD: As the ban on 19 single-use plastic (SUP) items came into force on Friday, there was almost zero compliance in most places across the city, especially in the unorganised business. Officials, however, said that their initial focus was on producers of these items.
A visit by TOI to markets in Moazzam Jahi, Bowenpally, Ameerpet, Necklace Road and also medical stores revealed that the banned items were very much available for sale. From selling plastic earbuds at medical stores to vegetable vendors providing plastic bags that are way below the mandated 75 microns, the city did not see any difference on the first day of the ban.

“We have a huge inventory of these materials. We haven’t got the time or the resources to shift to other materials as these plastic materials still dominate,” said Chenchu Ravi, a roadside fruit seller near Ameerpet Metro Station.
Plastic cutlery was still in use in many restaurants and roadside eateries as they have procured large quantities of these disposable items since the pandemic began.
Senior environmental engineer of Telangana Pollution Control Board (TSPCB), D Narendar, said that they were predominantly facing issues from unorganised businesses while corporate retailers and registered established businesses have been largely compliant.
“We are currently more focussed on producers of plastic goods and our enforcement in the next few weeks will be on this front. The biggest challenge is the unorganised sector. Keeping that in mind, an integrated grievance app SU-CPCB was launched in which complaints can be monitored by respective local bodies as well as the PCB. The app user can also track the status of complaint,” Narendar said.
PCB officials said that there are around 20 entrepreneurs who have taken up manufacturing alternatives to single-use plastic materials in Telangana, but said that it is still not enough. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Plastic Manufacturers Association (TAAPMA) general secretary Arun Lahoti said that they were converting or upgrading their machines to make other utility items using recyclable materials.
“But it will take time. We had appealed to the ministry of environment to give us some more time, however, in the interest of all, we feel the rules are good. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are lucky as far as plastic bags are concerned as there is no blanket ban like in some other states. Such carry bags of 75 microns thickness will be allowed till December 31, 2022,” Arun told TOI.