PM’s call to start new revolution against plastic must be heeded

Mysuru, Sept. 3 (OSR)- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a call to the people to start a new revolution against plastic from Oct. 2, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. This call has to be heeded to, before it is too late.

There were black, blue, green, yellow and other coloured flowers in the plants. It was a surprise to see that such colourful flowers were being seen even as the floods receded. But a closer look revealed what it actually was. As far as the eyes could see they were not flowers but coloured plastic bags, coloured drinking water bottles which had been disposed off and mounds of them had collected at many places.

Such scenes of plastic accumulation are common along the river banks of Kapila in Nanjangud, Cauvery in Srirangapatna, and Lakshman Theertha on the main road in Hunsur. However, this is not just confined to river fronts but wherever plastic collects in huge quantities it is the same sad scene.

Everywhere there are catchy slogans on avoiding plastic bags. However, whether it is due to the negligence of the Corporation officials or the greed of the plastic bag manufacturers, the maximum use of plastic continues and because of this, it is not only affecting our environment and aquatic life but also causing health problems to every living being on the earth.

A couple of years ago, when Dr. C.G. Betsurmath was the Corporation Commissioner, he had taken several steps to curb usage of plastic. But the officers who came later have not worked with the same zeal of imposing ban on plastic. Even today, the usage and sale of plastic bags in small and petty shops continue unabated.

The number of shopping malls that have mushroomed in the city are using this ban as a ruse and charging Rs. 40 to Rs. 50 for cloth bags and because of this, the demand for freely offering plastic bags at shops have increased, it is said.

Instead of putting pressure on the consumers, the government should nip it in the bud by banning manufacturing of plastic. For this, serious action needs to be taken and our people’s representatives must take personal initiative to stop the use of plastic bags and introduced laws not issuing licence for manufacture of plastic bags. Instead, environmental-friendly and reusable bags while shopping, providing alternative to plastic bags, instead of plastic bottles using better quality of water bottles to preserve health. There are also steps that also need to be taken by the government.

It is also a welcome sight to see many international organisations working in this direction. However, the lack of concern and interest by the implementing officers of the government is a serious cause for concern.

Even though there is restriction on the use of plastic, a few petty shops put the items in plastic covers, the customers will carry them and ask in what way can we be blamed for this. Instead, just like the government has banned sale of lottery or arrack is banned, if the manufacture of plastic is completely banned then we will co-operate, say the citizens.

Even though the question arises that when nature itself cannot digest plastic, how is it possible for the living beings on the earth to digest it. Somehow it is not becoming easy to enforce the ban on usage of plastic.

This means that plastic has become so much a part of our lives. It is difficult to segregate plastic waste and this results in danger to the environment and the food chain which could become poisonous.

Plastic isn’t just a problem when it enters the environment as waste. Rather, plastic pollutes at every step and does not allow new forms to grow and there is no bigger danger than this. Then the serious question that needs to be asked is, as we are destroying nature, will it destroy us? The answer is to heed to the call of Prime Minister to start a new revolution against plastic.