Karnataka: Now, Bellandur bids adieu to plastic bags

BENGALURU: After HSR Layout, the residents of Bellandur are all set to usher in a ban on the use of plastic. From Sunday, over 500 shops on Outer Ring Road, Haralur, Devarabeesanahalli and surrounding areas will not be allowed to use plastic bags or promote the use of plastic.

In order to ensure that Bellandur, a booming commercial hub becomes plastic-free, more than 300 volunteers of Kasa Mukta Bellandur are knocking on the doors of shops, creating awareness.

Valli Srinivasan, a volunteer, said, “A massive awareness rally was held in Bellandur on February 5 and since then, volunteers are continuously holding awareness drives in a bid to ensure that by Sunday, all the commercial establishments will remove plastic bags.”

The volunteers have roped in several NGOs to supply cloth bags to the shops so that the process of switching from plastic bags becomes easier. Shilpa Singru, another volunteer, added that every day the members of Kasa Mukta Bellandur were spending about four hours on road, trying to educate shopkeepers and even residents.

“The ban could be the start of a large scale civic movement across the city where people are not waiting for change to happen. They have realized that they have to be an active part of the solution to their own problems. It’s exciting too see positive response to the initiative,” Shilpa said.

Meanwhile, though the residents’ previous stints to curb plastic menace did not receive overwhelming response from the BBMP officials, this time the BBMP has joined hands with Kasa Mukta Bellandur.

However, the biggest challenge to fully enforce the ban was the lackadaisical attitude of small shopkeepers who fear losing business, said Dr Kalpana, deputy health officer (BBMP).

“Many owners of commercial establishments demand for a government circular or an order to enforce the ban. Despite creating awareness from many weeks, shopkeepers ask for time to switch to eco-friendly bags and are worried this process could become expensive. We are trying to overcome these hurdles by creating more awareness,” she maintained.

The BBMP officials will hold continuous raids from Monday and crack upon shops selling not only plastic less than 40 microns, but any kinds of plastic handbags.