The Pioneer 29.05.2013
District administration breaks banned polythene supply chain
Following a directive from the District administration, wholesalers of Ranchi have sold out there entire inventory, as they claim, and have vowed to stick to the directive in future as well.
“The time which was given to us was sufficient to push the product in the market and clear the stocks. As of now we are neither maintaining any inventory of polythene of less than 40 micron in thickness nor have we placed any order for the polythene of same specification,” said an employee of Chabra Plastics, the biggest supplier of polythene in Ranchi and adjoining areas.
Besides large suppliers, small sellers of polythene have also pushed their product in the market and instead filled their shelf with polythene of 40 micron and above thickness.
“After the meeting we had with the Ranchi Deputy Commissioner, all small polythene sellers called a meeting and each one of us vowed to support the District administration’s effort towards total elimination of polythene,” said Prabhat Sharma, a small seller of polythene in Ranchi.
While some sellers may have buckled under the administration’s pressure, a minority of the class have led by example by not selling polythene of the said specification even before the District administration issued the directive banning polythene.
“It’s been more than one year since I stopped selling polythene of less than 40 micron in thickness. Although the ban was called by District administration at that time they could not enforce it to the letter,” said Sanjay Chaudhary of Shyam Traders adding “i stuck to the ban as I realised the danger it causes to human lives.”
The supply may have dried but the demand for the polythene has not declined yet. Small shop-owners, another important player in the long supply chain, jump from one small supplier of polythene to another in search of polythene of less than 40 micron.
“Shopkeepers always demand such polythene. They anticipate that small sellers would have stocked the polythene if the wholesaler has sold out entire lot,” said Sharma adding, “it is the cost of the thicker polythene which is discouraging shop owners from buying it in place of thin polythene.” The cost of polythene measuring 40 micron and above in thickness is around three times the cost of thin polythene.
“It’s the difference in the cost incurred per kilo which has kept the demand alive,” said the employee of Chabra Plastics.
