HYDERABAD: The Telangana government on Wednesday issued guidelines to ban plastic usage in urban local bodies in the state. All corporations and municipal bodies across the State have been directed to take the lead in implementing this initiative. Urban local bodies are advised to become a role model for other government offices in implementing ban on plastics.
In a letter to all municipal commissioners, Principal Secretary (Municipal Administration) Arvind Kumar directed them to strictly implement the directives on plastic usage.
“The department should be in the forefront in implementing this initiative. Municipal Administration Minister KT Rama Rao has already stopped using bottled water,” Arvind Kumar said in his letter.
This move happened exactly a day after KTR had expressed his displeasure at the use of plastic material in GHMC office, despite government’s decision to stop using plastics. KTR directed Arvind Kumar to issue instructions to all commissioners of urban civic bodies to strictly implement the ban.
Instead of using plastic material, the government departments should go in for environment friendly materials (including steel/ceramic glasses).
It has therefore been decided that henceforth, all ULB offices should discontinue usage and ban stocking of single use plastic items, Arvind Kumar said.
India currently generates around 56 lakh tonnes of plastic waste annually. Plastic menace was also one of the major causes of making waste management a herculean task , he said.