After delay of almost a year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will finally provide eco-friendly plastic iceboxes to fisherwomen in civic markets to replace the use of banned thermocol. The BMC will transfer the money directly into the accounts of fish sellers under the direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme for buying plastic containers that are approved by the environment department. The environment department of the state government headed by Shiv Sena minister Ramdas Kadam in June 2018 had banned all types of plastic bags, single-use plastic items such as spoons, cups, plates and thermocol items. Fish sellers in civic markets were facing problems in business since they would store fish in thermocol iceboxes. Many fish sellers had demanded that the BMC should provide them with an eco-friendly alternative. According to the officials, the money will be transferred from gender budget, for which the market department has made a list of 3,741 woman fish sellers who have an annual income below Rs 1 lakh. These women will get Rs 10,000 to buy three iceboxes that with capacity of 50, 60 and 70 litres. The money will be transferred directly into the beneficiaries’ accounts after establishing eligibility. Fish sellers have been asked to submit all relevant documents to prove that their income is below Rs 1 lakh. The list of 3,741 woman fish sellers were approved by the women and child committee in July, said an official from the market department. He added, The proposal of providing iceboxes was approved last week at the standing committee. The BMC has made a provision of Rs 3.74 crore under the gender budget to help the women. The plastic ban prescribes a penalty of Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000 and a jail term of three months. Following the ban, there was an uproar among the fisherfolk community, who are also politically active and considered to be part of the Sena vote bank. In order to pacify them, former gardens and markets committee chairman Haji Haleem Khan had promised to provide eco-friendly iceboxes in which they could store fish for sale. Following this, in January, Khan held a meeting with officials and directed them to make a provision and give an alternative to fish sellers. Suhasini Mhatre, a fish seller from Worli municipal market, is now happy but said this should have been done earlier. We were scared since thermocol was banned. But I am happy now that we will finally get the new eco-friendly boxes, she said.