HYDERABAD: Nirmala, a customer was seen arguing with a vendor at the Yellareddyguda vegetable market, after he asked for Rs 3 for a polythene bag. After a few minutes, she was forced to pay Rs 3 as she had nothing else to carry her vegetables. “Earlier, when we used to purchase vegetables and groceries, vendors supplied bags free of cost. Suddenly, they have started collecting between Rs 2 and Rs 4 for a carry bag,” Nirmala fumed.Small vendors and general kirana store owners are finding it hard to convince customers to get their own carry bags or to pay for the plastic ones. With officials issuing orders that no carry bags would be given free to consumers, plastic bags of less than 40 microns are being charged Rs 2 and those more than 40 microns at Rs 5. While very few prefer to carry their own bags, some are forced to pay for the plastic bags and are not happy about it.Merchants and vendors hence are finding it tough to sell carry bags. “It is difficult to carry out such trades without carry bags. Items in small quantities need to be packed separately. Moreover, customers get annoyed if we pack items in paper bags,” said a merchant of Lakshmi Kirana store at Ameerpet. Meanwhile, a few shop owners are complying with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and implementing the plastic ban in their respective stores. N Ajay, a bakery owner said they have been using both paper as well as plastic bags since long. Now that the official notification has been issued, we have dumped all our existing stock of plastic bags and using only paper bags.”Meanwhile, GHMC commissioner MT Krishna Babu had issued a circular few days ago directing officials to impose penalties of Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000 on manufacturers and Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000 on retailers and traders from July 16, if they continue to use plastic carry bags less than 40 microns thick. Till July 15, however, plastic carry bags will only be seized and in case of repetition of the offense, the establishment would be seized.
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