No to single-use plastic: SDMC launches six week-long campaign to raise awareness

In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of shunning single-use plastic, a six week-long campaign was on Wednesday launched by the BJP-led South Delhi Municipal Corporation to raise awareness on the issue and mobilise community to work towards the cause, officials said. 'Plastic Waste Shramdan Campaign' was launched in all four zones. It has been decided to ensure large-scale participation of citizens as a part of 150th anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi.

"During the six-week long campaign, large-scale citizens' engagement activities for awareness and community mobilisation will be done through offering work (shramdan), having clean and green drives, Swachhta pledges, Swachhta rallies and other programmes aimed at mass scale plastic waste collection and disposal, and elimination of single-use plastic will be organised," the SDMC said in a statement. Mayor Sunita kicked off the campaign from Subhash Nagar ward. The campaign will go on till October 27.

SDMC Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti said the campaign is to be taken ahead with the same zeal and spirit which helped in making 'Swachhta hi Sewa Abhiyan' successful under the Swachh Bharat initiative. Bharti in a meeting on Wednesday with all heads of departments also reviewed the present status of various projects and issued clear instructions to make the last week of the campaign "result-oriented".

"Single-use plastic is not only detrimental to environment but also harmful to the health of citizens. It is essential to conserve natural resources for the next generation; and for this we will have to raise together forceful voice against use of plastic," he said. He further asked officers of SDMC to seriously work towards imposing a ban on single-use plastic.

The Commissioner also asked officers to submit a weekly report every Monday on action taken on this campaign. Bharti said in accordance with the theme of the World Environment Day 2018 'Beat Plastic Pollution', it is need of the hour to reduce plastic production, ban single-use plastic and develop alternative to harmful plastic items.

He said environment can be protected by using eco-friendly 'kulhad', paper glass or plates, and bags made of jute and cloths. He also said that it must be ensured that none of the items made from harmful plastic be used in SDMC offices. As many as 36 rallies were organised in market places to make people aware about the campaign and non-usage of single-use plastic.

A pledge was administered to vendors and shopkeepers under the South Zone of the SDMC to not sell their goods in plastic bags. A public awareness campaign was also launched in Dwarka's Ward No. 38.

Meanwhile, as part of the PM's vision, the East Delhi Municipal Corporation on Wednesday also launched a campaign -- 'My 10 Kg Plastic Campaign' -- with the collaboration of IPCA and Dabur India Limited at its headquarters in Patparganj, officials said. Chairman of EDMC's Standing Committee, Sandeep Kapoor said the campaign is a unique initiative by the East Corporation which requires the cooperation of the citizens, for it to succeed.

Kapoor appealed to the citizens of east Delhi to not use signal-use plastic and not to throw the plastic waste as well, but to collect it and hand it over to the EDMC so that plastic waste can be disposed in a proper way. He also appealed to all religious institutions also not to use disposable plastic and thermocol products.

Chairman of NDMC's Standing Committee Jai Prakash Wednesday said that North Corporation is committed towards the campaign to 'Say No to Plastic' in its jurisdiction. Both wings of NDMC -- Deliberative and Executive -- are in coordination and dedicated towards the drive to mobilise the masses towards discouraging usage of single-use plastic as it amounts to non-biodegradable waste and also pollutes natural water resources besides creating water logging by clogging drains, he said.

Commissioner NDMC Varsha Joshi convened meeting of all senior officials of the corporation to know about the development on the subject. She was informed that about 500 institutional buildings or parks can be developed as plastic-free zones which can be increased in a phase manner.

She asked deputy commissioners to provide the list of institutional buildings like engineering stores, schools, parks and health institutions, which are going to be plastic free. Joshi asked them to display plastic-free institutions boards outside such institutions.

She also asked the deputy commissioners to rope in some NGOs which can provide fabric bags to replace plastic ones.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)