MP govt puts complete ban on plastic in Bhopal's Van Vihar National Park

Plastic is now completely banned in Bhopal's Van Vihar National Park, informed officials.

According to officials, tourists often leave behind waste on the Van Vihar premises. When animals eat this waste, they fall ill as a result. To deal with this, strictness is now being exercised in the national park.

Now, tourists cannot carry plastic water bottles and other food items with them inside the Van Vihar premises.

Arrangements have been made inside the national park for water, and for this water ATMs will be installed.

While talking to ANI, Van Vihar National Park Director Padmapriya Balakrishnan said, "The plastics at Van Vihar National Park cause harm to wildlife and the environment, that is why we have completely banned plastic. People who come here to visit can take water, and for this, we give them steel bottles. For the steel bottle, they have to deposit money, which they can get back."

"We used to have a shop inside Van Vihar, where biscuits and salty chips were available. Most of the packaging used reserve plastic so we have closed that too. We have also installed water ATMs for water, which can be accessed by inserting coins. Its purpose is not to earn money. Many times people leave the tap open and water is wasted. Now they will be given water as per their requirement and wastage shall also be reduced," the director added.

Last year, amid the nationwide campaign to eliminate single-use plastic, following a notification released by the central government, the country seized around 46 tonnes of single-use plastic so far, officials said.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF & CC) issued a Notification on August 12 last year, stating that the production, sale, stocking & distribution, import, and usage of identified Single Use Plastic (SUP) items including cutlery items, thin packaging films, candy & ice-cream sticks to be banned from July 1.