Only collective action can stop plastic use: CM

Time of India

2 days ago

Ranchi: On the occasion of
World Environment Day
on Thursday, chief minister Hemant Soren appealed to the people of Jharkhand to put a stop to plastic usage. He emphasised the urgent need for collective action from all quarters to promote a sustainable and environment-friendly approach.
Addressing the public during environment day programme besides inaugurating the Siromtoli flyover, the CM said that rampant plastic usage was a pressing concern, and efforts were being made to put an end to it. He appealed for a shift towards alternative options to plastic.
"The time has come to change our habits and avoid using plastic. Weren't we surviving when plastic was not part of our lives? Plastic has caused such harm to our lives that we are finding solutions to stop using it.
In the past, villagers used clothes to carry items, and that never caused any harm to the environment, unlike plastics," Soren added.
He further said that implementing rules and regulations by the govt to ban plastic would never be successful until people from all quarters abstain from using it.
The CM shed light on govt initiatives to save and preserve the environment, adding, "As you all can see, in today's event, all dignitaries were welcomed by gifting saplings, which was once dominated by the tradition of gifting bouquets.
But our govt replaced that old tradition and adopted an environment-friendly approach."
Expressing his concerns about rapid environmental degradation across the globe, he called for a collective effort to preserve Jharkhand's rich biodiversity. "Today, environmental degradation has reached a point that the animals, once inhabitants of the forest, are now venturing into human habitats. Jharkhand has been lucky in that regard to some extent, as 70% of the state has forest land.
But we have to think about how we can preserve this asset," Soren said.
It is worth mentioning that, despite a ban imposed by the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) back in 2022, single-use plastic bags continue to be used with impunity across the state.
Speaking to TOI, JSPCB chairman Shasikar Samanta said that despite the ban, the authorities are yet to find any alternative to plastic bags. "Plastic manufacturing is banned in Jharkhand; however, in some places, many are sneakily producing it.
Plastic bags are used by many meat sellers as there is no alternative option available in the market," he added.
According to statistics revealed by Union Minister of road transport and highways Nitin Jairam Gadkari in February this year, over 1 lakh trees were felled in Jharkhand from 2020-21 FY to 2023-24 FY for various national highway projects.