Ganga Sagar Mela: Eco-friendly, plastic-free drive gather steam

Kolkata: The South 24- Parganas administration has started an eco-friendly and plastic free Gangasagar mela campaign.

"In November, we started a massive campaigning for Eco Friendly Mela. Community mobilisation against plastic use, throwing of wastes, etc has been started," said Dr P Ulaganathan, District Magistrate of South 24-Parganas.

He reiterated that all the Sadhus in the temple complex including Naga Sadhu are involved in campaigning against plastic and solid

wastes. They are telling all their followers not to use non-biodegradable materials. They will also advise tourists.

All the Self Help Groups in Sagar, Kakdwip and Namkhana are campaigning in villages. Safai abhiyan in temple and beach points have been organized. Biodegradable materials made up of corn starch, cloth bags, jute bags and bags/plates made up of leaves are being promoted. Plastic exchange programme where pilgrims carrying plastic bag will be exchanged with cloth/starch bags. Ganga Sagar Bakhali Development Authority has procured lakhs of such bags and will do exchange programme. Solid waste management units have been installed, 20 e-carts deployed and about 5,000 volunteers will be deployed for cleaning all the mela points.

Special arrangement for removing bio-medical wastes like Masks, gloves, etc. has been done. The Mamata Banerjee government is taking a slew of measures starting from swab sample testing facility to proper maintenance of physical distancing for Covid management during Gangasagar Mela to ensure safety of lakhs of pilgrims those pour into the Sagar Island in South 24-Parganas to take holy dip at the confluence of river Ganga and Bay of Bengal on the auspicious day of Makar Sankranti in mid-January.

Keeping the Covid situation in mind the state government is also giving emphasis on e-darshan and e-snan facilities that was introduced last year. Under the facilities, a devotee will get water from the confluence of river Ganga and Bay of Bengal supplied at their

houses if applied online for

the same.