Pollution menace: Gangasagar to get plastic recycle unit

Kolkata: The state Environment department is planning to come up with a small plastic recycle unit at Gangasagar and take all necessary measures to ensure that the place remains plastic free during the Gangasagar Fair scheduled to be held from January 13 to 15 in 2020.

The Public Health Engineering (PHE) which is the nodal department for the Gangasagar Fair will be serving water in plastic pouches to the pilgrims. After use, they will be taken to the recycle unit.

"Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has instructed us to take all necessary measures to curb pollution during the Gangasagar Mela. We will be providing paper cups and plates to various shops and eateries as an alternative to plastic," said Soumen Kumar Mahapatra, Minister in Charge of Environment and PHE department following a meeting in the state Assembly on Friday .

Apart from Mahapatra, state Power minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, district magistrate of South 24-Parganas P Ulaganathan, Sagar MLA Bankim Hazra and senior officials of concerned state government departments attended the meeting.

"The pilgrims as they enter the temple carry the puja materials comprising plastic items. The Gangasagar Development Authority and our department will provide them alternative carry bag so that they do not use plastic," Mahapatra said.

State Power minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay told reporters that there will be two power supply lines so that if anyone accidentally goes defunct the other will start to work automatically. "This will ensure uninterrupted power supply at the fair. We are also trying to have a third alternative power supply line," the minister said.

There will be special lighting arrangements at Kapil Muni ashram to make it more attractive to the tourists. There will be lights at 87 points among which 52 will be at Sagar Islands, 23 at Kakdwip and 22 points at Namkhana. "Power supply in the Mela premises will be drawn from three substations located at Rudranagar, Kakdwip and Namkhana," the minister said.

The district administration is expecting a huge turn out in Gangasagar Fair 2020 with the Kumbh Mela not scheduled next year. The district magistrate has proposed the Power department to install LED lights at some prominent locations in the river channel for better navigational facilities which will be actively considered by the Power department.

The Power department will also ensure good lighting facilities at Benubon which is used as a gateway to the Fair. Benubon has suffered a lot of damage in power infrastructure due to the cyclonic storm Bulbul that had hit the state last month.