A green protocol is already in place for the annual Attukal Pongala. The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation has called upon devotees to carry their own steel plates and steel glasses and tumblers. In addition the civic body has set up a stall to sell eco-friendly products to devotees.
Among the lot is biodegradable tableware made from sugarcane fibre. This bagasse (pulp that remains after the extraction of juice from sugarcane) moulded disposable product range includes plates of different sizes, bowls and straws. These products, branded as Chuk, are manufactured in Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh and is marketed by Kochi-based Saintjo Innovations.
“We launched the products in Thiruvannathapuram at the T20 played between India and New Zealand at The Sports Hub, Karyavattam. The Corporation had placed an order for nearly 50,000 pieces for that event alone. For the Pongala, the Corporation has already placed an order for 5,000 plates,” says Sajan Kumar, who heads the Thiruvananthapuram branch of this company. Besides the 11-inch plates (priced ₹4.50), there are nine-inch plates (₹ 3) and bowls (₹ 1.80). Plates with three or five compartments are also on sale. The tableware can be kept in microwaves and freezers.
Also shop for areca leaf plates brought from Coimbatore, which is sold by Sanchi, an eco-friendly bag store. Sanchi is also selling its cloth hand bags, sling bags, big shopper bags, lunch bags and seed pens made by students of Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Attingal. Two paper bag units, Akshaya and Zodiac, have also stocked their products at the venue.
The sale concludes on March 2.