To curb the rising plastic consumption in the city, the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation and the district administration have jointly launched an initiative called ‘Mana Vijayawada.’
VMC Commissioner V. Prasanna Venkatesh said that as a part of the initiative people can contribute ideas towards curbing the menace.
‘Special drives’
At a press conference held at the District Collector’s office on Friday, the Commissioner said that special drives would be conducted at the residential areas wherein plastic bags would be collected from the residents in exchange for environment-friendly bags.
“Once we collect the plastic bags during these special drives, we will set up a recycle park where artefacts made from plastics will be put on display,” said Mr. Venkatesh.
The Commissioner said joint enforcement teams will be set up to inspect the roads and canals and take necessary actions to ensure they remain clean. He also suggested that programmes like street plays and flash mobs could be held to highlight the menace and the steps that have to be taken to eliminate it.
District Collector Md. Imtiaz said that this problem should be tackled by both civic authorities and the citizens alike and added that residents should be a part of the solution instead of being a part of the pollution.
“We have targeted a few residential associations which we plan to hold meetings with, this Tuesday, and decide to distribute a total of 1,000 cloth bags among these complexes,” said Mr. Imtiaz. “In order to increase the outreach of this initiative, we have planned to employ a few Self-Help Groups and provide them with training to prepare eco-friendly bags,” said Mr. Imtiaz.
