Kedarnath cleared of over 21,000 kg multilayer plastic since start of Yatra this year
Tuesday, 06 June 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The sanitation team at Kedarnath in Rudraprayag district has collected and segregated about 21,600 kilogrammes of multilayer plastic waste like wrappers of candies, biscuits and other items since the start of Char Dham Yatra this year.
Besides this, the team has also segregated over 4,000 kilogrammes of used plastic bottles, said RK Dayal, sector in-charge of the sanitation team in Kedarnath. He said that the team has collected this garbage from the Kedarpuri temple area to Ghoda Padav, the base camp where tents are set up for pilgrims. He told The Pioneer that there are 50 sanitation workers who maintain cleanliness in the area. He said that the sanitation team is segregating various kinds of garbage including single-use plastic and that multilayer plastic like wrappers of candies and snacks among others are being segregated in two segregation centres set up there for effective waste management. He said that the sanitation team segregates at least two to three quintals of plastic waste on a daily basis.
He said, “We have packed 720 bags of multilayer plastic waste each weighing nearly 30 kilogrammes. We have also packed 545 bags of single-use plastic bottles each weighing about eight kilogrammes. On average, we segregate and pack at least 25 to 30 bags daily of multilayer plastic waste and plastic bottles. These bags have been kept in our segregation centres for now. We will soon take them to recycling agencies for recycling via Sonprayag.” He said that since single-use plastic is banned as per the law and the directios have been issued to local eateries and shops to comply with the law. He said that the sanitation team with the help of local authorities has so far imposed penalty on nearly 65 small shopkeepers and eatery operators for not maintaining sanitation around their respective establishments.
“The authorities have given dustbins to all shopkeepers in the area to ensure they collect garbage and dispose of it as per the rules. Despite this, when we find garbage lying around shops, we penalise the shopkeepers as per the Solid Waste Management Rules Act 2016 and Uttarakhand Anti-Littering and Anti-Spitting Act,” said Dayal. He said that the sanitation team also raises awareness among pilgrims about maintaining cleanliness as many do not comply with rules and throw garbage in open areas like Bugyals (high altitude alpine meadows). “We along with district administration, police and State Disaster Response Force also conducted a campaign on Monday near Baba Bhairavnath temple and collected garbage,” added Dayal.
