Minister praises initiative to make Buxa Hills free from plastic waste

Alipurduar: A month-long initiative to make the Buxa Hills completely free of plastic waste is showing tangible results. The drive began with a special campaign on September 5, when District Magistrate R. Vimala personally joined the cleanup, climbing the hills to collect accumulated garbage.

The administration has emphasised that the campaign will be enforced under a “strict zero-tolerance” policy. This is particularly significant as several villages near the Bhutan border fall within the core area of the Buxa Tiger Reserve.

Since the drive’s launch, approximately 180 bamboo and plastic dustbins have been installed across villages in the hills, contributing to cleaner surroundings. On Saturday, minister of state for Panchayats and Rural Development Becharam Manna conducted a hands-on inspection, trekking 6 km from the Buxa viewpoint to Lepchakha village, nearly 3,000 feet above sea level. Along the route, he personally collected small amounts of scattered garbage, noting the visible improvement in cleanliness. Officials said no minister had previously visited such an initiative in Lepchakha.

Over the past month, nearly 2,000 kg of waste has been collected from villages, including Buxa, Santalabari, Sadar Bazar, Lepchakha, Lal Bangla, Chunabhati and Tasigaon. The hills now appear much cleaner and well-maintained.

Manna said: “The initiative by the district administration and authorities is commendable. Along the 6 km stretch, I found very little garbage. Our aim is to reduce this to zero. Most of the Buxa Hills lie within the core area of the Tiger Reserve. Under the Mission Nirmal Bangla program, all 73 tourism-dependent village panchayats, including Rajabhatkhawa, will be completely waste-free. I am also exploring how farmers can benefit from cultivating crops like ginger, garlic, large cardamom, and squash, which grow well in these hills.”

On Sunday, the minister led another awareness campaign across all villages, with minimal plastic waste observed. The visit included Santosh Gupta, MD of Mission Nirmal Bangla, Additional District Magistrate Nripen Singh, District Council Chairperson Snigdha Shaiv, officials of the Buxa Tiger Reserve, and other senior a

dministrative officers.