Kalyan Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) has installed four cloth bag vending machines at its market premises to reduce the use of prohibited plastic bags and make reusable bags available to traders and customers. The machines will dispense cloth bags for Rs 10 each.
The initiative has been introduced across the Kalyan APMC premises, which is used by thousands of traders and customers. The market administration said the vending machines were installed as a convenience measure while working towards making the market area free of plastic bags.
APMC chairman Ravindra Ghodvinde said the number of machines could be increased in the future depending on the response from traders and customers. He described the move as a practical step towards achieving the objective of a plastic-free market and protecting the environment.
The installation follows repeated action by the municipal solid waste department over the past two to three years. Municipal teams have conducted raids in the market premises and seized prohibited plastic bags. The action had also brought criticism to the market committee, according to the report, prompting the administration to introduce an alternative for people carrying or purchasing goods at the market.
The cloth bag vending machines are intended to provide an immediately available replacement at the point where customers and traders need a bag. By placing the machines inside the market premises, the committee is linking enforcement against prohibited plastic bags with access to a reusable alternative.
The machines were inaugurated in the presence of Murbad BJP MLA Kisan Kathore, Kalyan East MLA Sulabha Gaikwad, Kalyan Rural MLA Rajesh More, former APMC chairman Pramod Hindurao and current chairman Ravindra Ghodvinde. The launch was held within the market premises.
The committee’s next step will depend on the response to the four machines. Its chairman has said that the administration will consider increasing their number if the initiative receives sufficient support from the market’s traders and customers.
