‘Plastics not inevitable, cut consumption for a clean city’

MCC Commissioner at ‘Swachh Mysuru’ campaign

Mysore/Mysuru: “Our ancestors lived without plastics. The present generation behaves as though plastics are unavoidable, when in reality they are unnecessary in most cases,” lamented MCC Commissioner Shaikh Tanveer Asif.

He was speaking after launching the ‘Swachh Mysuru’ campaign recently jointly organised by Bhagini Seva Sangha, BSS Vidyodaya, MCC and Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) at BSS Educational Institution in Krishnamurthypuram.

Quoting teachings from holy books of various religions, including the Bhagavad Gita, Asif said, “We face the consequences of our actions. This philosophy applies to our lives also. Excessive use of items leads to higher production, which in turn harms the ecology and environment. More production and consumption ultimately generate enormous waste.”

He stressed that “every article we use and every action in society are linked like a chain,” adding, “If we want hygiene in our environment, we must reduce consumption. Mysuru’s third rank among the country’s cleanest cities is not enough. It has only motivated us to do more to maintain cleanliness. Along with our children, we must pledge not to dump waste indiscriminately.”

MGP Founder-President Bhamy V. Shenoy criticised the littering on Chamundi Hill by thousands of devotees during Ashada Fridays and other holy days. “Leaving the Hill strewn with plastics and garbage is nothing short of a sin,” he said, expressing disappointment over the lack of preventive measures.

Shenoy noted that repeated public awareness campaigns have failed to curb plastic use and littering and emphasised that educating children may be the only effective solution.

“Children must become our Swachhata ambassadors to rid the city of plastic waste,” he said, suggesting that the MCC Commissioner write to the School Education Department to promote awareness in schools about the environmental hazards of plastic use.

BSS Vidyodaya School Secretary R. Vasudev Bhat, resource person K.G. Mathew, MCC AEE Mruthyunjaya, Mysuru West Lions Sevaniketan School Principal Roopa Karumbaiah and others were present.