PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
In a positive step in the direction of ensuring a Green Char Dham Yatra, the municipal body of Kedarnath has collected and compacted 1,000 kilogrammes of plastic waste in the first week of opening of the portals of Kedarnath Dham. The Kedarnath Nagar Panchayat has divided the collected waste into 15 categories and is now planning to earn money from this waste. The municipal body is also planning to construct concrete pits for the disposal of the wet waste in the shrine area.
The executive officer of Kedarnath Nagar Panchayat Neeraj Kukreti said that ever since the portals of the Kedarnath Dham were opened on April 22, the pilgrims have been visiting the shrine in large numbers. He said that the record pilgrim arrival has also resulted in a situation where a significant amount of plastic waste, primarily water bottles accumulate in the town.
“To address this problem, the Nagar Panchayat has set up a recovery facility within the shrine, covering a 3,000 square foot area. The Nagar Panchayat collects plastic waste and other solid waste and sorts it into 15 different categories. This facility primarily includes plastic waste, glass, tin and textiles. The Nagar Panchayat has also installed a compactor machine which crushes plastic waste, such as bottles, into 30-40 kg bundles,’’ he said.
Kukreti said that the collected waste will now generate revenue for the Nagar Panchayat. He said that glass, tin and other metal waste is also being collected in Kedarnath and later it will be transported to Sonprayag and sold as scrap. The EO further informed that the Nagar Panchayat is getting the Dham cleaned in two shifts in the morning and evening. He said that 55 sanitation workers have been deployed in Kedarnath.
Pertinently Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to pilgrims visiting Uttarakhand not to carry single-use plastic with them.
State chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has also appealed to the pilgrims visiting the State to refrain from littering plastic waste or other forms of garbage during their stay.
