Any Time Bags machines go defunct

Tirupati: The ‘Any Time Bag’ (ATB) vending machine which was inaugurated by the district Collector at Tirupati Rythu Bazar on June 6 has worked only for a few days. In the absence of any system to keep the cloth bags inside the machine when the stocks are depleted, the Rythu Bazar staff were switching off the machine. Even if the machine is switched on it indicates that ‘stock is empty’.

Though the officials of AP Pollution Control Board (APPCB) have kept the bags in the machine now and then they are being taken out by the people by paying Rs.10 per cloth bag which shows the good response for it. But, the initial interest in setting up the machine and getting it inaugurated by the Collector has soon disappeared making it unattended by the concerned staff.

In the absence of developing a system to keep the cloth bags regularly whenever the stocks are depleted, it causes embarrassment for the consumers who go to the machine and return disappointedly. It hardly worked in providing cloth bags to the consumers during the last four days and the Rythu Bazar staff were saying that the bags have to come from Vijayawada. As hundreds of consumers visit Rythu bazar daily to buy vegetables and other provisions, they are looking at the cloth bags which are being sold at Rs.20 or more depending on the size and quality at the shops there. The intention of APPCB in setting up the machine there was to discourage the use of plastic bags and to motivate the people in using the eco-friendly cloth bags.

They priced the bags at an affordable rate of Rs.10 per bag which the consumers can get by dropping one Rs.10 note or two Rs.5 coins in the machine. They even wanted to introduce a QR code system at the machine to get the bags. But, within 10 days, the machine itself is not working due to lack of cloth bags to offer to the needy consumers on which the officials have to pay a serious attention.