Plastic-free Assembly

Hyderabad: With an intention to put an end to plastic, the Telangana State Assembly has started using earthen water bottles and glasses. It is planning to put up earthen water pots in the Assembly premises.

"From now onwards, the Assembly will be a plastic-free zone," Speaker P Srinivas Reddy announced at the first meeting of the Assembly Committee on Forest, Environment and Wildlife held here on Monday.

To mark the implementation of the ban on plastic with immediate effect, the Speaker presented earthen bottles and glasses to all the members and pledged to stop use of plastic in the entire assembly premises.

Reddy asserted it is high time that the growing menace of plastic use be put to an end and save the nature from the threat of increasing air, water and land pollution.

The Speaker said that if steps to contain pollution at this stage was not taken and if we do not take measures to reverse the situation and become eco-friendly, future generations will become the victims of our mistakes.

He also exhorted all the employees of the Assembly not to bring eateries in plastic covers and containers and dump them in the office premises.

The Speaker asked the in-charges of the various wings of Assembly secretariat to buy eco-friendly products in place of plastic being used on daily basis.

He instructed Assembly Secretary V Narasimha Charyulu to use only non-plastic material during the Assembly session as well.

The Committee members welcomed the Speaker's decision on plastic ban and adopted a resolution unanimously in the meeting which also discussed various issues mainly the implementation of Haritha Haram and the utilisation of CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority) funds to improve the forest cover in the state.

The committee praised the state Forest department's efforts to curb the poaching of animals in the reserve forests.