Plastic manufacturers also said they were keen to work with the Government to find alternatives

By Ankush Bandyopadhyay Express News Service In a bid to protest the proposed ban by the state government on plastic products, beginning March 18, the Maharashtra Plastic Manufacturers Association (MPMA), along with other associations of plastic manufacturers and traders on Friday held a demonstration at Azad Maidan. The protest, attended by over 1,000 people, saw traders, factory workers and manufacturers from all over Maharashtra including Nashik, Nagpur and Aurangabad, protesting the ban. The protestors carried placards that read, ‘Plastic is not bad – littering is bad, stop littering’ and ‘Remember the 4 Rs of plastics: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Recover’. According to Ravi Jashnani, president of the MPMA, “For the past several months, we have been trying to bring the drawbacks of such a blanket ban on plastic usage and production to the notice of the government and also to enhance awareness amongst the public.” Kaushik Sanghvi, the secretary of the Plastic Manufacturers Social Welfare Association, said their demands were reasonable and in the interest of all concerned. “It is not that we protest for the sake of protesting. We want to work together with authorities in ensuring that plastic does not cause any damage to the environment,” Sanghvi said. Jashnani said the ban would adversely affect employment and revenue generation. Members of the associations also said they were keen to work with the Maharashtra Government to find viable alternatives. Ankush Bandyopadhyay is a student of NSoJ and is an intern with Indian Express, Mumbai