Plastic Ban at Chinnaganjam Beaches from June 1

Vijayawada:Bapatla district collector V. Vinod Kumar announced a complete ban on plastic usage at beaches in Chinnaganjam mandal from June 1 as part of efforts to develop the coastal belt into a major tourism destination.

Participating in the Swachhandra-Swarnandhra programme at Gonasapudi village on Saturday, the collector said beaches, mangrove forests and backwater areas would be developed on the lines of Suryalanka Beach and Chirala Beach.

Vinod Kumar said the state government led by N. Chandrababu Naidu aims to develop nearly 900 km of Andhra Pradesh coastline to boost tourism and livelihoods.

He said the plastic ban would also support women self-help groups manufacturing cloth bags from old sarees, with beaches attracting 10,000 to 15,000 visitors on weekends. Bank loans are being extended to encourage such enterprises.

The collector later participated in Jaladhara-Jalaharathi activities, planted coconut saplings, launched sanitation and dengue awareness rallies and distributed bank linkage cheques to women self-help groups.