The issue of rampant use as well as indiscriminate disposal of single-use plastic in Tirupati came to the fore once again, with the new Commissioner of Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT) Aditi Singh personally bearing witness to the same.
It may be recalled that Tirupati was the first city to ban plastic covers, glasses and cups back in 2018, much ahead of the ban imposed across the State. The ban made even the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) contemplate the use of paper boxes or bio-degradable bags to distribute the famous ‘Laddu’ prasadam to the devotees.
However, the spirit of the ban dissipated over time and plastic resurfaced in all forms in the city where indiscriminate disposal became the order of the day due to the heavy presence of floating population.
During an early morning inspection of the wards coming under Tiruchanur Road and Renigunta Road on Monday to take stock of the sanitary conditions, Ms. Singh came across dumps of plastic in various forms. Finding used plastic glasses dumped in front of a bar at Lakshmipuram circle, she immediately levied a fine of Rs. 5000 on the bar management. Similarly, two other outlets were fined Rs. 2000 each for dumping garbage on the road.
“Possession, sale and use of single-use plastic products will not be tolerated, and tough action will be initiated against the users,” Ms. Singh warned. In the same vein, she appealed to the denizens to discourage the use of such plastic products in the interest of the environment.
