Tuesday, 20 December 2022 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Several local residents, activists and concerned citizens in Dehradun expressed their dismay at the display of a banner covering half of the Clock Tower to raise awareness about the use of reusable bags. The banner, in the shape of a bag, displays the message ‘Bring Your Own Bag’ (BYOB) to create awareness about reusable bags and against the usage of single-use plastic. It also displays the name of a radio channel along with the names and logos of the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Limited and according to many, these names are more visible on the banner than the message intended to raise public awareness.
A senior citizen Kishan Singh said that he has been living in the city for the past 34 years but never saw such kind of ‘awareness initiative’ that demeans a structure which is many decades old and part of Dehradun’s identity. He said, “If they wanted to raise awareness, they could have found a better location for its placement. They should actually display awareness messages in the MCD building as it is visited by hundreds of people daily. Covering the Clock Tower in the name of raising awareness is humiliating not just for the heritage but for the locals too.” “It is such a ridiculous move to spread the so called awareness against the use of single-use plastic among citizens by using the Clock Tower, the pride of Dehradun, as a means to display advertisements.
The officials involved in this initiative should understand that it is not just about lack of awareness among people but lack of efforts by authorities concerned at the ground level to ensure nobody uses plastic bags. An awareness ad is not going to replace the efforts needed to bring the desired change,” said a local resident Naresh Rawat. Social activist and founder of the Social Development for Communities (SDC) Foundation, Anoop Nautiyal also said that the intention behind the installation of the banner was possibly not wrong but one should draw a line between raising awareness and unnecessarily merging it by covering an iconic heritage.
The awareness could be spread through other means of public communication and the situation could be avoided, added Nautiyal. Speaking on the matter, the municipal commissioner Manuj Goyal said that the MCD approved the installation of the banner in Clock Tower as it is one of the most visited locations of the city. He said that he will look into the matter and take necessary action if the banner looks like more of an advertisement of brands rather than a means of spreading awareness about reusable bags.
