The Times of India               07.05.2013

Ludhiana second in North in plastic waste generation

LUDHIANA: Despite orders of the Supreme Court, the Ludhiana municipal corporation continues to be oblivious to the issue of plastic waste in the city. The Apex court, in its order on April 3, asked all states to submit a status report to the court, but the MC is unaware of the directives.

The survey conducted by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in 60 cities showed that Ludhiana is among the top 10 cities producing hazardous plastic waste. The remaining nine are Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, Faridabad, Jaipur, Agra, Amritsar and Chandigarh.

Out of 3,501 tonnes of hazardous plastic waste produced in the 60 cities studied, Delhi accounts for 20% with 689.52 tonnes, followed by Chennai with 429 tonnes, Kolkata with 425 tonnes and Mumbai with 408 tonnes. The four metros account for about 57% of plastic waste.

In the north, Ludhiana stands at the second highest position in the production of plastic waste. Faridabad was found to generate 79.03 tonnes of such waste every day, followed by Ludhiana with 50.68 tonnes, Agra with 40.89 tonnes. With 2.23 tonnes of waste, Shimla was among the lowest plastic waste producing cities.

After a court warning in 2011, the municipal corporation officially banned plastic bags below 30 microns, as they are light enough to fly around in the air. These plastic bags were also found to be choking drains.

However, the ban has not been properly implemented and shopkeepers continue to use plastic bags below 30 microns. Light weight plastic can be seen blowing in the wind around open garbage and dumping grounds near residential areas.

Areas which are bearing the brunt of plastic waste are Dugri, BRS Nagar, SBS Nagar, Model Town, Haibowal and others. Shashi Singh, a resident of Haibowal, said, "Buddah Nallah is one of the examples of the authority's neglect. You can't even pass through the bridge properly, it stinks so bad."

Reacting to the problem of hazardous plastic waste which is enough to spread epidemics in the city, mayor Harcharan Singh Gohal Waria said, "No such complaint has come up from residents till date. If the condition is so serious I am ready to give it first preference and start work of cleanliness as soon as possible and will also ask them to prepare a status report and present it before me in a week."