Modi banners set afire in capital

Police suspect it to be the work of people who are unhappy with the plastic ban enforced in the capital

Dilip Patel

The offenders did not burn the posters entirely. They set fire only to the section containing Modi’s image. This banner stood at GH-4 Circle near Udhyog Bhavan Unidentified men burnt Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s posters in Gandhinagar late on Monday. The police have still not been able to trace the person/s responsible for the incident. However, they believe it could be the work of people who are unhappy with the plastic ban that has been in force in the city since January 1. Though there are several posters of Modi dotting the capital, the ones that the vandals burnt were put up at GH-4 and CH-3 crossroads. Such an incident has happened for the first time in 10 years, say sources. Mean against Green In the two posters, Modi was seen asking Gandhinagar residents to keep the city green and free of plastic. Interestingly, the offenders did not burn the posters entirely. They chose to burn just Modi’s image. The rest of the poster is intact. The police believe it was a premeditated act. “The posters are 12-foot high. Anyone trying to burn it would either need a ladder or would have to stand atop a vehicle to reach it. We have found a kerosene can at the GH-4 spot which is near Udhyog Bhavan,” said police. Ban against plastic The police, who removed both the posters, believe the act could have been carried out by people unhappy with the ban on plastic bags. The Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation had passed a resolution to ban sale as well as amassing of plastic bags below 20 microns from January 1. The civic body also decided to invoke the Forest and Environmental Protection Act against any offender who violates the ban thrice, and arrest him. Most importantly, the ban extends to gutkha pouches that the Supreme Court recently said should be banned by state governments in three months. The GMC has warned vendors at vegetable markets and shopping centres, commercial complexes, milk parlours and laariwallahs against using plastic. Offenders fined The GMC officials have been ordered to charge penalty of anything between Rs 50 and 5,000 from shop owners possessing plastic bags. The stringent ban includes closure of plants producing loose plastic. A team comprising officials from departments of health, forest, roads and building along with those from the collector’s office, Gandhinagar Urban Development Authority and fire brigade have been set up to monitor sale of plastic in the city and implementation of the ban. They recently raided two plastic manufacturers and imposed a heavy fine on them for violating the ban.