Kohima: Single-use plastic bans are changing shopping habits in Dimapur and Chümoukedima. Many vendors now use newspaper, cloth, or biodegradable bags. Others are not so lucky. The transition is failing because of high costs, weak alternatives, and patchy enforcement.
Vendors buy Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) bags at Rs 160 per kg. Math suggests these are a poor deal. Standard plastic bags yield roughly 112 pieces per kg. Biodegradable bags provide only 60 to 70 pieces. "For the environment it is good but as a shopkeeper it is challenging," said one apparel seller at New Market.
The bags break easily. Shopkeepers must often double up, which bleeds their margins. Because Nagaland lacks manufacturing plants, the council sources these supplies from outside the state. Other vendors are improvising with aluminium foil and paper plates to bypass the cost of the council-issued gear.
Municipal officials visit markets to inspect stalls about once a week in Dimapur. Fines for using single-use plastic hit Rs 200 per violation. Inspections at Chümoukedima Weekly Bazaar are unannounced and often lead to confiscated goods. Some vendors feel the focus is misplaced. A 40-year-old vendor argued that officials must target the source of the supply to stop the flow of plastic at the root.
Enforcement remains hit or miss. The Tuesday Bazaar at 3rd Mile still features plenty of plastic bags in open use. Meanwhile, the state government declared a ban on plastic water and soft drink bottles under one litre starting August 1, 2024. Despite this, those bottles remain on shelves across the region.
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