Making Lalbagh clean & plastic-free

Making Lalbagh clean & plastic-free
Deccan herald

The month-long awareness programme to make Lalbagh clean and plastic free is an initiative taken by Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), Horticulture Department in co-ordination with NGOs-Sahas and Development Alternative.

The month-long awareness programme to make Lalbagh clean and plastic free was launched with gung-ho on Sunday, as guards stopped, checked and confiscated plastic bags from visitors at the three gates of the Garden. The awareness drive is an initiative taken by Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), Horticulture Department in co-ordination with NGOs-Sahas and Development Alternative.

Defaulters who carry disposable plastic products into the garden or littering inside the gates will be fined Rs 50 and above. “For the next 10 days the guards will be lenient, after which they will impose the fine,” said PRO, KSPCB, Sarala Kumari.

To aid the success of this campaign, the number of dust-bins have been increased, cloth bags costing Rs 5 and paper bags costing Rs 2 are being sold at the entry points. Ten additional guards have been deployed by Horticulture Department along with two green police from KSPCB to enforce the ban.

“Only plastic water bottles are allowed inside the garden and the vendors inside the park will also not be allowed to sell anything in plastic including straws,” said Wilma Rodrigues of Sahas.

Altogether, 200 students from 10 schools are taking part in the campaign, including the twenty NCC cadets. Students carrying banners participated in a walkathon and performed street plays to spread the word.

Akshay, a Class X student of Presidency School said “Lalbagh is the green lung of Bangalore. It is biologically diverse with migratory birds and various species of trees. We should do our best to conserve it and awareness should be raised on the issue.”

On the first day, what did the visitors think of the ban? Shyamsundar, a businessman visiting the garden said “I completely support the ban, but it should be maintained with the same spirit.”

But some expressed cynicism, like Rajender Khater, a businessman who questioned if this drive can be sustained for long. Cloth bags are not a viable alternative to plastic, he opined.