PRINCE KUMAR
Ranchi, Dec 27: Ranchi Municipal Corporation’s efforts to make Morhabadi ground free from non-biodegradable waste has proven to be a big hit as the street vendors around the ground have given up the use of plastic and thermocol plates.
There are a few vendors who are still using plastic and thermocol plates but most of them have switched to support the RMC’s drive.
“We also want the place where we stay the whole day to be neat and clean. Though we use dustbins, people throw waste cups here and there. Now we have started telling them that we have placed the dustbins to keep the environment clean,” a vendor said.
“I am using steel plates to serve biryani to people from the very beginning. It is cost-effective and people like to have biryani in steel plates rather than in plastic plates as it is difficult to carry and eat,” another vendor said.
Ranchi Municipal Commissioner Mukesh Kumar said that RMC had given the street vendors some time to switch to sustainable ways to diminish the usage of plastic.
“We have planned a series of drives to make the area in and around Morabadi ground garbage-free. The most challenging part is to control the garbage generated at the food stalls. So, we have asked the food stall owners to stop using any non-biodegradable items and switch to plates and bowls made of leaves,” Kumar said.
The civic body has also prepared a detailed plan to make the area tobacco-free as part of which the RMC teams will start working on ensuring that provisions of the COTPA Act are complied with and banned tobacco products aren’t sold at the stalls.
A senior officer in the know-how of the plan said, “RMC has decided to set Morhabadi as an example of a no-plastic zone and elimination of non-biodegradable waste is the first step. After this, we will ensure that all tobacco-based substances, which have been banned by the state government, are not sold in the area.”
