BHUBANESWAR: As winter sets in marking the beginning of picnic season, the Forest Department and Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) along with a few other organisations have launched a drive to make picnic spots across the state plastic-free.PCCF and HoFF Debidutta Biswal said a meeting has already been convened by OSPCB where forest officials were asked to identify picnic spots and take necessary measures to prevent the use of single-use plastic items at the sites.
Around 170 picnic spots have already been identified in different forest circles as part of the drive, forest officials said. The theme of the drive is the ‘plastic-free picnic challenge’ and it involves creating awareness among people on the use of plastic and its hazards. As part of the drive, a total of 40 sites have been identified in Bhubaneswar Circle, said RCCF Sanjeet Kumar.
The spots include Barbera, Salia Dam and Barunei hills in the Khurda division; Similijhara in Nayagar; Kalijai, Rajhans and Mangalajodi in Chilika Wildlife Division and Ramachandi and Chandrabhaga in Puri Wildlife Division. With half of the picnic spots falling in the non-forest areas, forest officials said the help of local administrations and civic bodies will be taken to raise awareness and carry out enforcement to check the use of single-use plastic at the sites.
Kumar said the focus will be laid on picnic spots near sea beaches where single-use plastics pose a major threat to marine ecology. While local authorities will be urged to extend support to have a system in place for the immediate lifting of garbage generated at the picnic spots and impose restrictions on the use of single-use plastic items, people will be sensitised on the need to be responsible visitors, he said.