Close to 8,500 businessmen in Rajkot, lead by plastic manufacturers, took out a silent rally to protest against the proposed blanket ban on single-use plastics. They have urged the Surat Municipal Corporation to review the ban and to ensure that there is no collateral damage to the local economy. They have also urged the authority to not to seize plastic products from businesses, as Navratri and Diwali season is around the corner and any harsh measure can upset the business sentiments. The silent rally was conducted from the Race Course to Municipal Corporation via Yagnik Road and Trikon Baug. Paresh Ganatra, a local plastic manufacturer told DNA that they want to understand the reasons behind the ban. “The argument that plastic is environmentally hazardous is wrong. It is cheap, readily available product which substitutes paper,” Ganatra told DNA. He claimed that the real problem is the ‘segregation at source’ of plastic, its collection and reuse, which is very much possible and under implementation in municipal corporations like Indore. He said that best practices can be implemented by other local bodies, however, a blanket ban will have grave consequences. “Close to 32,000 workers in around 650 plastic industries will be jobless because of the blanket ban on single-use plastic. Units have taken loans from banks. These will turn into Non-Performing Assets (NPAs). All the machinery to manufacture plastic objects will turn into scrap overnight,” Ganatra told DNA. Plastic manufacturers claim tat the consumption of plastic per person is 130 kg in foreign countries but in India, it is only 12 kilogram per person yet the government is thinking to ban it, which is not fair,” claimed Utsav Doshi, another local manufacturer. With Inputs from IANS

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