Tirupati to be plastic-free from Oct 2

Tirupati: District Collector and Special Officer of Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT) PS Pradyumna, on Tuesday, announced that complete ban on plastic use will be implemented in temple city from October 2, Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday. He was speaking at a roundtable conference over the implementation of 100% ban on the usage of plastic material in the city.

The Tirupati Chamber of Commerce (TTC) and MCT have jointly organised a roundtable meeting on the issue. Collector P S Pradyumna, addressing the meeting, said that it is not a job of only Collector or MCT commissioner, it is responsibility of every citizen of Tirupati. He emphasised that plastic ban is the need of the hour in Tirupati as 1.5 lakh people are visiting to have darshan of Lord Venkateswara.

``The civic body officials are facing problems to clear the plastic waste. In many places, plastic waste is blocking open and underground drains. Earlier, MCT Commissioner Vijaya Rama Raju stated that MCT officials are collecting opinions from all the sections of people. He gave a call to all the chicken shop owners to keep away the plastic usage to sell chicken to costumers.

Later, the Tirupati Urban Development Authority Chairman G Narasimaha Yadav said that official should indicate alternative solutions after banning plastic usage. TCC president Manjunath presided over the meeting. Padmasri Munirathnam, BJP leader Bhanu Prakash Reddy, CPI leader Raman Naidu, RPI Anjaiah, Schools Association General Secretary Viswanath Reddy, officials and representatives from NGOs (non-government organisations) were present at the roundtable conference.