Plastic Free Kanyakumari

Ban on plastic items below 20 microns


Resolution

passed in the Nagercoil Municipal Council meeting

Nagercoil: The Municipal Council has decided not to allow use of plastic items under 20 microns and those violating this decision will be slapped a fine of Rs.5,000.

A resolution to this effect would adopted at the council meeting to be held here on Thursday.

According to the Chairman of the Municipal Council, Ashokan Solomon, the district administration had decided to make Kanyakumari a ‘plastic-free district’ from April 1.

All non-degradable waste would be transported to India Cements to be used as fuel.
Use eco-friendly paper bags

Collector Rajendra Ratnoo directed all the local bodies to pass a resolution not to use plastic items with in their limit. Instead of using plastic items, he directed the local bodies to explore ways and means to manufacture paper bags, which was eco-friendly and free from any kind of pollution.

The Nagercoil Municipal Council has banned the use of plastic bags, carry bags and other plastic materials used in hotels and other commercial establishments. No body could sell non-degradable plastic items within the town limits.

A fine of Rs.1000 would be collected from whole sale merchants, Rs.500 from retail merchants and Rs.100 from those who use non-degradable plastics and Rs.25 from individuals.
source:Hindu

Kanyakumari to become plastic- free district



Within two months, says District Collector Rajendra Ratnoo



ON ENVIRONMENT: Kanyakumari District Collector Rajendra Ratnoo interacting with sanitary workers.

NAGERCOIL:Kanyakumari would be declared as plastic free district within two months.

So, solid waste management committees were set up in six tourist places to create awareness among the people to prevent use of plastics and segregation of non-recyclable plastics in their areas, said the Collector, Rajendra Ratnoo.

Inaugurating an awareness rally at Kanyakumari on Thursday, he said that five-member committee had been formed in all wards of Nagercoil and Padmanabhapuram municipalities, Kanyakumari, Suchindurum and Thirparappu town panchayats and Vellancode village panchayat in Chitaral.

Around 1.20 lakh tonnes of solid waste was being generated every day in India.
Co-fuel

In Kanyakumari district, 1,000 to 1,500 kg of non-recyclable waste was being generated every day. Non-recyclable plastic was first used as a co-fuel in Associated Cement Company at Kymore in Madhya Pradesh in March 2008. Based on the success story, it has been decided to use non-recyclable waste from Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts as co-fuel in India Cements at Thazayuthu in Tirunelveli district. Under co-processing of plastic waste in cement kiln programme, it has been decided to collect five tonnes of plastic waste from these districts every day and use as a co-fuel in India Cements. The authorities could save one per cent of the total fuel used in the factory by burning non-recyclable waste.
Eco-friendly

This was an eco-friendly fuel. The Assistant Engineer of Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, P.Kirubanantha Rajan, said that the solid waste management committees would ensure to convert the district in to plastic free in the next two months.

Rally

A massive awareness rally would be conducted at five places in Nagercoil on November 9.
Competition

The Chief Education Officer has requested to conduct slogan writing competition to stress the need to create awareness on preventing use of non-recyclable plastics in all schools through out the district and the District Collector would distribute prizes to the winners in December.

He also sought the co-operation of the people for the successful implementation of the programme with an ultimate aim to declare Kanyakumari as plastic free district.
source:www.hindu.com

Kanyakumari Eco Friendly For Tourists
Kanyakumari will also turn eco-friendly from April onwards when the ban on using plastics with less than 20 microns comes into effect


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRLog (Press Release) – Mar 23, 2010 – A visit to Kanyakumari is almost always synonymous with watching the sunrise at the Vivekananda Rock. But visitors will soon have a lot more to do at the southernmost tip of India - be it trekking, bird-watching or even bungee jumping.

The district administration is all set to woo more tourists with the added attractions of adventure and ecotourism.

"Along with the National Adventure Foundation and Friends of Nature, we plan to promote adventure and ecotourism here," District Collector Rajendra Ratnoo told IANS.

For years, tourists have mainly come to Kanyakumari to see the sunrise at the Bay of Bengal from the Vivekananda Rock, around 200 metres from the shore. Spiritual leader Swami Vivekananda is said to have sat in meditation on this rock for two days.

Apart from the rock, the other places visitors opt to see are the 133-foot statue of Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar, the Bhagavathi Amman temple, the Pechiparai Dam and St.Xavier's Church.

With the administration's new adventurous plans, there will be more to Kanyakumari than its religious and spiritual side.

"We are looking at trekking, rock climbing and bungee jumping activities with technical inputs from the National Adventure Foundation. A meeting with them is slated this month. We, however, do not want unregulated adventure tourism," Ratnoo said.

According to the official, ecotourism is also another area of interest and the Friends of Nature group would help pitch in. And they are looking at special packages for school students and corporates as well.

"We will be targeting schools and corporates for our ecotourism packages," Ratnoo said.

Last month the district administration organised a two-day bird-watching event in which around 300 people participated.

"Seventeen varieties of migratory birds like pelican, flamingo, spoonbill and varieties of ducks come to Kanyakumari. We had some ornithologists to educate and help the tourists. We plan to make the event a regular feature," Ratnoo said.

Kanyakumari will also turn eco-friendly from April onwards when the ban on using plastics with less than 20 microns comes into effect.
http://www.travelchacha.com/cities/tamilnadu/kanyakumari ...
Ratnoo said the the district administration was open to the idea of joining hands with the state tourism department to promote Kanyakumari as a tourist destination complete with the new options available for holidayers.

source:www.prlog.org

Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu), March 14 : A visit to Kanyakumari is almost always synonymous with watching the sunrise at the Vivekananda Rock. But visitors will soon have a lot more to do at the southernmost tip of India - be it trekking, bird-watching or even bungee jumping.

The district administration is all set to woo more tourists with the added attractions of adventure and ecotourism.

"Along with the National Adventure Foundation and Friends of Nature, we plan to promote adventure and ecotourism here," District Collector Rajendra Ratnoo told IANS.

For years, tourists have mainly come to Kanyakumari to see the sunrise at the Bay of Bengal from the Vivekananda Rock, around 200 metres from the shore. Spiritual leader Swami Vivekananda is said to have sat in meditation on this rock for two days.

Apart from the rock, the other places visitors opt to see are the 133-foot statue of Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar, the Bhagavathi Amman temple, the Pechiparai Dam and St.Xavier's Church.

With the administration's new adventurous plans, there will be more to Kanyakumari than its religious and spiritual side.

"We are looking at trekking, rock climbing and bungee jumping activities with technical inputs from the National Adventure Foundation. A meeting with them is slated this month. We, however, do not want unregulated adventure tourism," Ratnoo said.

According to the official, ecotourism is also another area of interest and the Friends of Nature group would help pitch in. And they are looking at special packages for school students and corporates as well.

"We will be targeting schools and corporates for our ecotourism packages," Ratnoo said.

Last month the district administration organised a two-day bird-watching event in which around 300 people participated.

"Seventeen varieties of migratory birds like pelican, flamingo, spoonbill and varieties of ducks come to Kanyakumari. We had some ornithologists to educate and help the tourists. We plan to make the event a regular feature," Ratnoo said.

Kanyakumari will also turn eco-friendly from April onwards when the ban on using plastics with less than 20 microns comes into effect.

Ratnoo said the the district administration was open to the idea of joining hands with the state tourism department to promote Kanyakumari as a tourist destination complete with the new options available for holidayers.

source ;www.newkerala.com

Tiruchirappalli (TN),May3: Kanyakumari district authorities have claimed success in making the tourist haven plastic-free from April one this year.

All four municipalities,56 town Panchayats, 99 village Panchayats have not only passed laws prohibiting use of low grade plastics and plastic articles but are observing it from April 1 this year,District Collector Rajendra Ratnoo told PTI.

The Green Kanyakumari Plan and war against plastics was launched M K Stalin, Deputy Chief Minister on December 2 last year. Sensitization of people and all stakeholders to bring about change in their attitude and then triggering off behavioural changes was the main strategy, he said.

Local political leaders also took part in meetings to stress the need for keeping the environs clean and ban use of plastics. To enlist the support of the NGOs and local leaders the Friends of Nature Society of Kanyakumari which was dormant for sometime was revived.

What made the programme a success was also the assurance that low quality plastic packaging materials would be substituted with jute or paper bags.

All local bodies in the district passed resolutions banning the use of plastics as mentioned under the Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules promulgated almost a decade ago and on eve of Pongal festival (in January) it was announced that the ban would come into force from April 1 2010.

About 100 special squads were formed to ensure that plastics were not used as a packaging material after April 1.

Fine for violation was Rs.50 for the user, Rs.500 for the shopkeeper and Rs.1,000 for the sellers of plastic carry bags.

The adherence to the ban on plastic was spontaneous and overwhelming, sources claimed. All sections of society switched over to alternate packaging materials wholeheartedly swiftly and smoothly,they said. The authorities had to book just 15 cases for rpt for violation of rules in the district.

The District merchants association has hailed the move and appealed to all traders to ban plastic in their business. - Agencies
May 03, 2010

Source:news.chennaionline.com