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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

SS MP threatens to ‘bomb’ political opponents

Journalists staged a protest outside Balasaheb Bhavan against Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Dina Patil, condemning his alleged remarks against members of the media. Pic: Bhushan Koyande Mumbai: Mumbai North-East MP Sanjay Dina-Patil – who recently defected to the ruling ally Shiv Sena apparently went haywire on Thursday, hurling bomb threats at political opponents, spitting expletives at protestors, warning jounos of assault and warning anybody “to do whatever you can”, sparking a massive political...

SS MP threatens to ‘bomb’ political opponents

Journalists staged a protest outside Balasaheb Bhavan against Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Dina Patil, condemning his alleged remarks against members of the media. Pic: Bhushan Koyande Mumbai: Mumbai North-East MP Sanjay Dina-Patil – who recently defected to the ruling ally Shiv Sena apparently went haywire on Thursday, hurling bomb threats at political opponents, spitting expletives at protestors, warning jounos of assault and warning anybody “to do whatever you can”, sparking a massive political furore. Elected on a Shiv Sena (UBT) ticket, Dina-Patil lost his temper when he was questioned on his daughter and SS (UBT) Municipal Corporator Rajool Patil who went to meet ex-CM Uddhav Thackeray to express her allegiance despite her father’s defection to the Shiv Sena led by Deputy CM Eknath Shinde. Instead of replying, Dina-Patil, reported to be short-tempered, blew his top and reacted aggressively with abuses: “Record this on camera… I have spoken to you for 2 minutes, I respect you, you should do the same… Don’t mess with me. If you return here, I will thrash and send you back. I am saying this in front of the police, you do whatever you want.” Just a couple of days ago, Dina-Patil had threatened SS (UBT) workers protesting against him. “Anybody who tries to cross my path, I will send them to the crematorium or the hospital. We have committed five murders in the past. If you protest against me, I will throw bombs on you and enter your house to hammer you.” As these threats and unparliamentary language stoked a massive political row, SS (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut shot off a letter to Mumbai Commissioner of Police Deven Bharti, demanding that the police probe all the statements of Dina-Patil and ‘book him for murder’. On the alleged bomb threats, Raut said if Dina-Patil had acquired the explosives from some terrorist organisation, he should be arrested under the dreaded Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, dealing with terrorism, terming it as a matter of national security. Political Explosion The matter escalated into a full-fledged political brawl with Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders like Congress’ Nana Patole, Vijay Wadettiwar; SS (UBT)’s Aditya Thackeray, Sunil Raut, Sushma Andhare; Nationalist Congress Party (SP)’s Supriya Sule, Dr. Jitendra Awhad, Jayant R. Patil, and many more, attacking Dina-Patil and demanding that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis must act in the matter. Aditya challenged Dina-Patil to instantly quit as MP, recontest in the name of Shinde or PM Narendra Modi and then see the outcome. Andhare said till the MPs were with SS (UBT), they were cultured but after walking over to the Shiv Sena, they have lost all their etiquettes or fear of the laws. Faced with an embarrassing backlash, Bharatiya Janata Party’s Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Shiv Sena’s Omprakash Babarao alias Bachhu Kadu quickly tendered unconditional apologies to the media on behalf of Dina-Patil, while Minister Girish Mahajan attempted to equate the outburst with recent strong language used by Sanjay Raut, who had said that “Shinde has given birth to 6 traitors”. On Raut’s letter to the CoP, a defiant Dina-Patil declared: “Whatever I said, I did it openly. If the police feel any action is to be taken against me, I am ready to face the consequences.” He again slammed the media persons for "thrusting microphones at him”, going to the ‘other side’ (the MVA) and then returning to quiz him, prompting the TV Journalists Association and other media groups to protest and seek action against the belligerent MP. “Has the MP been provided (Y-Plus) security at public expense to threaten the media which is doing its duty or the political protesters?” asked an irate TV reporter. Dina-Patil launched a broadside against the MVA and dared those who dubbed him a ‘traitor’ to come to his constituency without any security. On the incident of five murders, he airily said: “It had happened before I was born”, but Raut retorted claiming to possess details of all those alleged killings. “I don’t need an entourage of 10 vehicles as I rule the hearts of the people. I have aligned myself with ‘real men’. Shinde Saheb has commended me for my stand,” he claimed. Fadnavis and Shinde commented briefly on the matter and later were closeted in a meeting to discuss the fallout of Dina-Patil’s utterances especially after the media launched strong protests in different parts of Mumbai.

The 2016 Turning Point in India’s Plastic Waste Story

Extended Producer Responsibility brought producers into the waste chain—not as bystanders, but as accountable actors.

In my last article, I traced the rise of plastics in India — from the early growth of the industry to the explosion of single-use plastics in the 1990s that created mounting environmental concerns. I also looked at how the government began responding through the first plastic waste regulations in 1999 and the stricter rules introduced in 2011.


However, those early regulations were only the beginning. As plastic waste continued to grow in scale and complexity, the government moved to strengthen and broaden the legal framework.


In supersession of the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, notified the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. The 2016 rules marked a significant shift in India’s plastic waste policy, with several important provisions that deserve closer attention.


One important change was the increase in the minimum thickness of plastic carry bags from 40 to 50 microns, along with a minimum thickness of 50 microns for plastic sheets, in order to facilitate the collection and recycling of plastic waste.


Another major shift was the expansion of the rules from municipal areas to rural areas, recognising that plastic waste had spread well beyond cities.


The rules also sought to bring producers and waste generators more directly into the plastic waste management system, including through a collect-back mechanism for plastic waste by producers and brand owners under the framework of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).


They also introduced plastic waste management fees through the pre-registration of producers, importers of plastic carry bags and multilayered packaging, and vendors selling the same, with the aim of supporting the waste management system.


The 2016 framework further promoted the use of plastic waste in road construction, in accordance with Indian Road Congress guidelines, as well as for energy recovery and waste-to-oil processes, as part of efforts towards gainful utilisation of waste.


Greater responsibility was also placed on waste generators. Institutions and establishments were required to segregate and store waste in accordance with the Solid Waste Management Rules and hand over segregated waste to authorised waste processing or disposal facilities or deposition centres, either directly or through authorised waste collection agencies.


All waste generators were also required to pay such user fees or charges as may be specified in the bye-laws of local bodies for plastic waste management, including waste collection and the operation of related facilities.


Even event organisers were brought within the ambit of the rules. Every person responsible for organising an event in an open space, where foodstuffs were served in plastic or multilayered packaging, was required to segregate and manage the waste generated during such events in accordance with the Solid Waste Management Rules.


The local bodies, meanwhile, were entrusted with the responsibility of setting up, operationalising and coordinating the waste management system and performing associated functions. Retailers and street vendors were also prohibited from selling or providing commodities to consumers in carry bags or multilayered packaging in violation of the rules, with penalties for non-compliance under local bylaws.


Another notable provision was that non-recyclable multilayered plastic, if any, was to be phased out within two years.


Among all these changes, one of the most significant was the inclusion of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). The Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, mandated that producers, importers and brand owners be responsible for collecting and recycling their plastic waste. In later amendments, this framework was strengthened further through year-based targets for collection and recycling, mandatory registration with the Pollution Control Board (PCB) and the EPR portal, as well as recycled content requirements for plastic products and reuse targets for product packaging.


I will discuss a few more details and the continuing challenges in implementation in my next article. Till then, have a wonderful weekend.


(The writer is an environmentalist. Views personal.)

 


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