Gandhinagar: Chief Minister Vijay Rupani today announced a number of steps to ‘Beat Plastic Pollution to Save Environment’ at the state-level World Environment Day function as per this year’s theme.

Inaugurating a seminar on the theme at Mahatma Mandir at Gandhinagar in presence of Deputy Chief Minister Nitinbhai Patel and Council of Ministers, he said that Gujarat Government is committed to plastic recycling to save environment from plastics wastes.

He said ecological balance through preservation of flora and fauna, the earth, rivers and water bodies has been our tradition, increasing with the march of development. The steps include:

-Large scale installation of Reverse Vending Machines (RVM) to recycle PET bottles used for packing drinking water and beverages.

-Cost of waste pet bottles increased from 30 paise to one rupee.

-Administrative and tendering process to start in a week.

-In case plastic wastes, not worth recycling or reuse, will be properly discarded.

-Plastic bags of less than 50 microns to be totally banned as suggested by high level expert committee, too.

-A high-level committee set up to check air pollution in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, to submit its report in one month.

-The intensive statewide save environment campaign to last from June 5 to 11 in all municipal corporations, municipalities and taluka towns and around their 2-km periphery, also to ensure plastic wastes do not choke gutters, nullahs, rivulets and rivers during the campaign.

-Encouraged by success of Sujalam Sufalam Jal Sanchay Abhiyan with people’s collaboration, it is to be clubbed with Save Environment Campaign, to keep the deepened water bodies clean, prizes to be announced for best maintained water bodies.

-To begin with Ahmedpur Mandvi and Shivrajpur as Crystal Clear Beaches, free from plastic wastes.
Stricter implementation of Pollution Control Rules for Indutries, including issuing State Government issuing Closure Notice to polluting units.

Deputy Chief Minister Nitinbhai Patel said that since plastic has become an inseparable item of human use, the stress is on scientific recycling or dumping. He hoped to get full public support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for tackling solid, liquid and plastic wastes.

He said that nearly 600 litres per day water is being provided to the people for drinking and other purposes, situation demanding recycling underground gutter water through sewage treatment plants for industrial purposes by the state government, to make Gujarat a cleaner and beautiful state.

Rupani and Patel opened an exhibition on the use of plastic at Mahatma Mandir and went round the stalls.

Chief Secretary Dr. J.N. Singh, extending his good wishes on the occasion of World Environment Day, appealed to the people to use cloth bags instead of plastic bags, and dispose plastic wastes at particular places only instead of littering around.

CII western Zone Chairman Piruz Khambatta stressed on the need for industry-government collaboration the way it is in vogue in education, health, employment and other fields in the state.

Forest & Environment Principal Secretary and GPCB Chairman Arvind Agrawal said that since Gujarat produced 50 per cent of plastic in the country, it has special responsibility of recycling or disposing plastic wasters.

Cleaner Production Awards of Rs.50,000 and Rs.25,000 besides citations were distributed to the small and big industrialists.

Informative booklets published by GPCB, GEER Foundation, GEMI were released on the occasion. Kalol, Pethapur, Mansa and Dehgam nagarpalikas of Gandhinagar district were handed over keys of Swachh Bharat Mission. GPCB screened a documentary film on Beat Plastic Pollution.

A number of agreements were signed in presence of the Chief Minister between Indian Chemical Council, Nicer Globe Scheme and GPCB Indian Chemical Council-Bharuch Enviro Infrastructure, Novel Spent Acid Management, for Responsible Care Code for transporting hazardous wastes, trucks and tankers, fencing, GPS tracking automatic alert, besides one for knowledge sharing between GPCB and Gujarat University.

Prominent among those present on the occasion included Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasma, Minister of State for Environment Jaydrathsinhji Parmar, Energy Minister Saurabh Patel, industrialists and senior officers. Urban Development Principal Secretary Mukesh Puri proposed a vote of thanks.

– Information