Maha Govt to ban plastic water bottles in all government offices from March 2018

Mumbai, November 17: To get rid of plastic totally, Maharashtra government has banned packaged water bottles in all the government offices. This move will be implemented from March 2018.

 

Maharashtra Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam, while informing about the plan, said that a team will be sent to six Indian states of the country that have achieved plastic-free status, including Himachal Pradesh and Kerala, to study their model.

Reports say, plastic bottles of mineral water have also been banned at hotels and the regulation will soon be imposed on restaurants.

Following the golden rule charity begins at home – the government first imposed the ban on packaged drinking water bottles at Mantralaya and other government offices where water is served in PET plastic bottles. “We should start from home (Mantralaya) and when we can implement it here, we can ask the others to follow,” a senior official was quoted saying.

Further the minister said that the government will make the use of the funds under the district and development committees (DPDC) to sensitize the public about the measure.

Earlier in 2005, the government had imposed ban on plastic bags less than 50 microns thick after 2005 deluge that claimed several lives in Mumbai and its suburbs. Also further the state government may ban the sale of milk packaged in polythene bags, asking dairies and manufacturers to shift to glass bottles or sell milk loose.