Mumbai, June 26: The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) party supremo Raj Thackeray has opposed the plastic ban implemented by the state government by questioning whether the decision was that of Devendra Fadnavis-led state government or only of Sena Minister Ramdas Kadam (state environment minister). Further raising the objections over the ban, he remarked that if the decision was that of Devendra Fadnavis then why has he made no public statement so far. Meanwhile, Thackeray also slammed the state for implementing the ban haphazardly, without providing proper replacements for plastic. (Also read--Retailers Likely to Go on Strike From Wednesday, Demands Postponing the Ban Till Monsoon End)

Aditya Thackeray, son of Uddhav Thackeray the president of Shiv Sena, was at the forefront, demanding a blanket ban on single-use plastic across the state. Following his demand, Sena leader and environment minister Ramdas Kadam called for the ban on plastic in the April, on Gudi-Padwa.

Furthermore, Raj also accused the Mumbai Civic body led by Shiv Sena regarding the measures that have been adopted to keep the Mumbai clean. The authority behind enforcing the ban reasoned that reducing the number of single-use plastic will not only save the environment but also help keep the premises clean. (Also Read- Here's a List of Plastic Items That Are Banned and Allowed to Carry)

Taking the insult further, Raj applauded his party work in Nashik municipal corporation. He remarked that in Nashik they have successfully managed to compost the waste and produce manure out of it. But in Mumbai, the citizens don't even have dustbins to put litter. Lambasting the BJP-Shiv Sena coalition, Raj stated that the authority should work first and then they should go imposing fines from the common man. Meanwhile, he also accused that in the name of plastic ban, the government is extorting money from the public. Therefore, imposing hefty fines should be revoked.

During his press conference, he also slammed the Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam's remark on MNS hoarding, which was put to raise objection against the Rs. 5, 000 fine to be levied from the offenders. On the hoarding, Kadam stated that Raj previously used to feel threatened by Uddhav Thackeray, but now he feels threatened by Aditya and hence, such hoardings are being put. Raj stated in response: "Rather making remarks on our family affairs, minister(Ramdas Kadam) should give a proper answer over the ban implemented. Besides that, he also demanded that the ban on plastic should be revoked immediately."

To make the ban successful, the Mumbai civic body has been undertaking various initiatives and campaigns to create awareness among the citizens. Recently the civic body also organised a three-day long exhibition at National Sports Club of India in Worli where Bollywood celebrities Ajay Devgan and Kajol were invited to interact with people on how they can reduce the use of plastic from their daily life. Reportedly, post-ban, the civic body collected around 14.62 lakh kg of plastic items. However, its yet to find a proper mechanism to recycle the collected plastic. The civic body also appealed to the citizens, asking them to dispose the plastic at various collection centres at highest foot count areas. A map has also been made to help the citizens find the closet plastic collection centres in their localities.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 26, 2018 05:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).