Tripura: Campaign launched to make Unakoti district plastic-free

Kailashahar (Tripura), Dec 19 (PTI) The Unakoti district administration in Tripura has launched a campaign to make the region plastic-free, and over 50,000 bins have been placed so that people can discard bottles and garbage into those baskets, officials said on Friday.

The initiative covered all 92 gram panchayats, autonomous district council (ADC) villages, blocks and municipal councils along with public spaces, government offices, educational institutions and all major establishments, they said.

The campaign is envisioned as a community movement, with active participation from government departments, self-help groups (SHGs) and households, Unakoti Zilla Parisad president Amalendu Das said.

The administration has been simultaneously strengthening its waste management infrastructure, another official said.

Segregation centres are being operationalised in every gram panchayat, enabling decentralised handling of waste at the local level.

The plastic-free Unakoti campaign is aiming not only to reduce the use of plastic but also to promote a culture of responsible waste management across the district, he said.

Unakoti district magistrate Tamal Majumder said, "At the block level, plastic waste management units are being established across all rural development blocks in the district. One such facility at Kumarghat is already operational, while the unit at Pechartal was inaugurated on Thursday." Through the operationalisation of local infrastructure, engagement of workforce, institutional participation and community-driven action, Unakoti district aspires to establish a robust and sustainable model of waste management, he added. PTI PS BDC