Kappatagudda visitors to take pledge not to use plastic
As part of the pledge, visitors are requested to leave a coloured hand impression on a board put up near an entrance gate.
"Organic colours will be provided for visitors to dip their hands in to leave an impression on the board.
The colours are not harmful and are washable. After this, visitors have to scan a QR code, and then they get a pledge certificate with their name for taking a pledge not to use plastic and protect Kappatagudda's nature," said Manjunath Megalamani, RFO, Mundaragi, and in-charge of Kappatagudda sanctuary.
The first 100 such hand impressions will be framed to encourage visitors to cooperate with them to protect the forest, he said.
More than 4,000 tourists visit Kappatagudda during weekends and 200-300 people visit during weekdays. A 423.7sqkm area around the sanctuary was declared an eco-sensitive zone by the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change recently. Following heavy rains, the greenery has spread across the hill range, attracting tourists from across the state.
Sources said during the cleaning, the forest staff found plastic bottles, snack packets, plastic bags and other items.
The excessive use of plastic items, which were dumped elsewhere in Kappatagudda, was harming the look and beauty of the forest area.
Now, the department has strictly implemented several actions to curb the use of plastic bags and other plastic items in Kappatagudda. There are two entry points to get into Kappatagudda: one is from Kadakol (Kappat Malleshwar temple) and Doni.
Megalamani told TOI that they have deployed staff at both entrance gates to check the visitors and discourage them from using plastic items. They are now pasting a sticker on plastic bottles carried by visitors and collecting Rs 30 as a deposit amount. They will also paste stickers on all snack packets and collect some amount.
While returning, visitors will get back the deposit amount after they show the sticker-affixed plastic items that they carried inside.
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