D N Singh

It is like purpose vs publicity kind of thing that remains the common buzz all over the country and no surprise that the Naveen Patnaik has also toed a similar line to bring a respite for the clogged environment. And the Jayanti of Mahatma Gandhi has been used as an impacting way to cash on the occasion in its pursuit of politics. 

Just days before every October 2, an alarm bell rings and for a day or two, a serious concern comes to sight in the shape of some paper-made containers at various outlets. Then days pass when plastic containers reappear and the same vendors abandon that freakish albeit years old use of paper bags and very sheepishly push a polythene container with the orders. 

And in most of such occasions the diktat from the government, whether the central or state, comes with a huff which naturally triggers some amount of fear among users.

But, do the governments ever realize as what would be the alternate means. Suddenly one finds the news channels catch hold of experts who preach sermons over the hazards and pitch for alternative means. Which is good but the sudden shift gets impracticable to get along with.

For example no plastic or polythene in use can be over 50 micron . But has the government ensured two things is a simple question, that agitates anyone. Ban on the manufacturing of hazardous plastic in use and advance manufacturing of the alternatives to be in use.

It may be recalled that after the last Gandhi Jayanti ban on polythene some new manufacturers came forward with a good stock of alternate containers, which were bio-degradable, but they had the complaints that, their stock was not being picked up by the outlets. Which became a huge block capital problem. 

During Gandhiji’s time, of course, there was no menace of polythene or similar such materials. Somehow, it is a good takeaway by the governments to choose the day for the plastic ban but there must be a sensitivity by the government for consumer sentiments. Which is a time period and the alternate means. 

To tag Gandhian ideologies to protect the environment is fair enough to halt further deterioration of conditions. But one cannot close eyes to a slew of movements based on Gandhian ideologies, such as ‘Narmada bachao’, Chipko movements, movement on the threat to the Silent Valley in Kerala, have been consigned to the past almost which has a proliferating adverse impact on the environment.

Leaders who now package their politics on Gandhi`s ideologies should not limit the threats to our ecology only plastics or polythene, which is indisputably is one of the serious hazards, but the other equally major factors also.     

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