How NDMC plans to go ‘PLASTIC FREE’

The Independence Day address delivered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has created a serious impact across the country asking all the government and private organisations, shopkeepers, vendors, and citizens to boycott single-use plastic. The Government of India has planned to implement a nation-wide blanket ban on single-use plastic from October 2, the 150^th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, and the preparatory measures for the move can be seen in the National Capital. Shop owners across the city have stopped giving polythene bags to customers, the continuous awareness programmes conducted by various civic bodies taking place to help the cause.

NDMC in their efforts to curb plastic pollution has started a drive where underprivileged kids are involved in making cloth bags which will be sold and used in place of plastic bags in day-to-day life, Mary, Social Education Department, NDMC told Urban Update.

She was very enthusiastic about the drive and said that the plastic which can only be used once and is also not recyclable like straws, cups, plates, polythene bags, etc. should be completely banned from being used.

At the stall put up by the NDMC had students from the NDMC training institutes making cloth bags. Mary said that these students have been trained in sewing techniques and they are making cloth bags which will sold to prevent people using plastic bags. “The cost of the bag varies from Rs 15, Rs 20, Rs 50…depending on the cloth used. We only charge for the cloth”, she said, further adding that such bags can be made at home very easily using old clothes. This initiative is taken to spread awareness among people and also to make these cloth bags more accessible.

Talking on the nation-wide ‘plastic ban’ which is expected to be announced on October 2 the official said, right now the change can be seen in some parts of the city where shopkeepers have stopped using plastic bags for packaging and more but, from October 2 stricter rules will be implemented nation-wide. People who are caught using polythene bags or any product made out of single-use plastic will be penalized in the future.

She further said that the authorities are planning to open four training institutes where unskilled youth would be provided with skill training and also cloth bags will be made there which will be sold. Location for these institutes have not been finalised yet but certainly things will get clearer later. “People are coming to us with donations offering various sums of money for the institute and want more and more young women to be involved in the training program,” she said. Such a move will not only make the cloth bags more accessible to people but will also create job opportunities for women who will be trained in the institutes. “Officials like us will get orders for work for these women getting trained under us”, added Mary.

Under this drive organised by the NDMC, the stall which was put up on September 26 will continue till October 2.