Hyderabad: Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation on Wednesday conducted a massive awareness campaigns pertaining to ban of single use plastic as a tribute to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary. The officials even carried out street plays and plogging activities to inspire citizens to pick the single use plastic bottles in city parks and jogging areas. Officials said that such drives will continue till October and civic body would make efforts to recycle the collected plastic waste leading to a plastic-free Diwali.
Plogging, a Swedish fitness trend, is a combination of jogging and picking up litter. It encourages people to pick up litter while running or walking. It spread across western countries following the growing concern about pollution caused by plastic waste. Plogging can also be viewed as a workout as a person has to bend, squat or stretch to pick up the litter while doing running, jogging or walking.
The GHMC, along with voluntary organisations, picked up litter from roads, parks and other prominent places. Right from zonal commissioner to sanitation staff participated in the drive and penalised violators from dumping the garbage on roads besides using plastic below 50 microns.
GHMC commissioner Mr DS Lokesh Kumar said that though around 22,000 sanitation workers toiled everyday to keep the city litter-free, the thoughtless acts of some irresponsible people who throw waste on the roads are playing the spoilsport. If citizens join hands with GHMC and adopt ‘Plogging with Jogging’, the city will look much better, according to the official. The GHMC also said that it wants the public to join hands with it to help make the city cleaner and greener. Keeping this in mind, the Mr Kumar directed officials to coordinate with their respective colony welfare associations and morning walkers’ associations to take up this activity. Responding to his call, the authorities has taken up the programme at heritage structures and tourist places such as Charminar, Golconda, Quli Qutub Shah Tombs, Birla Mandir, Macca Masjid, Salar Jung Museum, Shilparamam and Tank Bund.
Curb plastic use to save ecology: PCB
On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, the Telangana State Pollution Control Board organised an event to highlight the evils of plastic usage.
With predominantly schoolchildren in the audience, Rajeshwar Tiwari, special chief secretary to environment, forests, science and technology said, “there is an urgent need to curb plastic pollution, which is degrading the environment.”
He asked people to develop a habit of reduce, reuse and recycle plastic. Single-use plastic, which is choking our nalas, drains and rivers, should be curbed by all, he said. He flagged off an auto rally besides launching a plastic recycle app.
