Mumbai, July 30: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has collected Rs 53 Lakh in fine and has confiscated 7131.349 kg of plastic till July 27.  According to a tweet by ANI, Court cases have initiated against 187 people who refused to pay the fine. The state government in Maharashtra had enforced a ban on a wide range of single-use plastic items and thermocol on June 23.

The state government had said that fines ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000 will be imposed on those found with these items. As per the notification, violators will be fined Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 for the first and second-time offence. A third-time offender will have to pay Rs 25,000 and may also face imprisonment for a period of three months.

On June 23, the BMC had launched a drive against plastic and formed various teams to conduct raids at various places. Anyone who was found using plastic was imposed with a fine.  According to a PTI report, the state-wide plastic ban would result in loss of up to Rs 15,000 crore and nearly 3 lakh jobs, says the plastic manufacturing industry.

The Maharashtra government on March 23  had issued a notification, imposing a ban on the manufacture, use, sale and distribution of all plastic materials like plastic bags, spoons, plates, bottles and thermocol items.  On April 13, the Bombay High Court had called the ban 'reasonable'.

Plastic Bags Manufacturers Association of India's general secretary Neemit Punamiya told PTI that the ban imposed by Maharashtra has hit the industry very hard and the plastic industry is staring at a loss of Rs 15,000 crore, leaving nearly 3 lakh people jobless overnight.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 30, 2018 06:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).