BDA to ban plastic in its office, parks, market complexes from September 1

BHUBANESWAR: The Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) on Saturday decided to ban plastic in its main office, parks and BDA market complexes across the city from September 1 on the occasion of its 36th foundation day to create a green environment.
Reverse-osmosis (RO) purified chilled and normal water fountains will be available in all floors of BDA building on Sachivalaya Marg from September 1 so that the employees would not use plastic bottles.

According to the decision, there will be no use of plastic folders during meetings. “We will use only paper or cloth folders in the place of plastic folders. No plastic bottles will be used during the meetings as well,” said a senior officer of the BDA.

He said the employees will be asked not to use plastic food packets. They can bring their own lunch boxes and containers, preferably made of metal. Carry bags only of cloth/paper only to be used inside office premises, he added.

In order to educate people on the use of plastic in parks, awareness drive will be organised to sensitise people through the help of NGOs working with BDA. “If anyone is found to use plastic inside parks, he/she will be fined. Recognized morning walkers association and park goers' associations will be requested to implement the “no plastic” ban. The collected fine can be used for development activities of the parks through the organisations,” said Bhabani Shankar Chayani, additional commissioner (enforcement) of BDA.

BDA will form squads to check use of plastic and drive inside parks and market complexes. To start with, a three-day plastic collection drive will start on September 1 to clean up parks and make them plastic-free.

Chayani said BDA officials and employees will act as ambassadors of change in their homes and their neighbourhood. Undertakings would be taken from officers or staff of BDA to make their surroundings plastic-free, he added.

The authorities will also act strictly and cancel license of trading in the BDA market complexes, if a trader found violating the ‘no plastic’ directive across the state capital.

Meanwhile, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) is going to have plastic collection centres in the city and BDA will also request the residents to use the centres so that the plastic burden will be less.