Hyderabad meat shops offering cash prizes to discourage plastic bags

HYDERABAD: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has come with an innovative idea to create awareness against the use of plastic bags and encourage people for carrying eco-friendly bags before going out for shopping.

In view of high meat consumption in the city, the GHMC, in collaboration with meat shop owners, has come up with a unique plan to reduce the use of polythese carry bags.

The civic body has urged the chicken and mutton shop owners to offer a prize money through a lucky draw for customers who walk in with a tiffin box to take away meat. The store owners have also been asked to maintain a list of customers, along with their mobile numbers, who adopt this eco-friendly measures. The list, officials say, will be used to encourage the drive against plastic bags. All such shops that follow these guidelines, will be declared as 'Swachh' chicken and mutton shop by GHMC.

GHMC's idea is gettiing good response at several locations in the city. A popular mutton shop in Punjagutta implemented this and paid Rs 1,000 to one of its customer. The GHMC officials also felicitated the chicken shop owner Yousuf for encouraging customers to bring tiffin boxes.

The GHMC officials appealed the citizens to carry a tiffin box while buying chicken and mutton and a cotton or jute bag while visiting a vegetable market.

The civic body is conducting extensive campaign in different areas to curb the sale and use of plastic bags in the city. GHMC is also running anti-polythene campaign on social media and through display boards in the city.