The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has finally woken up to take action against single-use plastic in the city, especially after Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed the need to do so. Plastic was freely available in the city despite the ban against it in Maharashtra from June 23, 2018. The BMC started acting on Wednesday and officials visited several markets and commercial establishments to find plastic. The BMC's blue squad visited 2,990 shops where inspections were done and warnings given. The civic body managed to collect Rs 90,000 in fines from plastic users.

The ban against plastic was announced with much fanfare, and people found using it were to be fined from Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000. The BMC has 310 officials who visit shops and markets in the city to check on plastic usage. As the civic body has been struggling to dispose off the plastic that has been collected for a year and is filling their godowns, over the past six months, its officials have reduced visits and actions due to this, revealed sources.