MIRZA, May 23 � The Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup, Vinod Seshan has called upon the people to make Kamrup district, a plastic-free district of Assam and asked the people to use bio-degradable waste materials in day-to-day activities to curb the increasing threat of pollution to the environment.
Addressing a public meeting organised by the Palasbari Municipal Board (PMB) in association with ENVIRON (NGO) at Palasbari on Friday while launching the project, �Introduction of Source Management Practice of Solid Waste Management and Development�, the Deputy Commissioner said that biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes had been polluting the environment in a big way and thereby destroying nature. He called upon the people of Kamrup district to be wary of using polythene and other waste materials so that the future generations are not made to suffer.
Seshan stressed on use of cloth bags in lieu of plastic and polythene bags. He also asked the Palasbari Municipality Board to make Palasbari a complete green coloured town by initiating a host of measures including erecting green signboards on roads and installing green dustbins in all areas of the town. He also expressed concern over massive tree felling and asked the authority concerned to plant tree saplings in a massive way.
Later, talking to newsmen, the DC said that Kamrup district administration was receiving complaints on illegal transfer of agricultural land into industrial land and the district administration was carefully inspecting those cases. He also said that steps would be taken to rehabilitate the flood and erosion-affected landless families (presently) living on the Palasbari-Gumi emabnkment as per the Erosion Policy launched by the Chief Minister of Assam.
Addressing the gathering, the Circle Officer, Palasbari Revenue Circle (who is also the Chief Executing Officer of the Palasbari Municipality Board), Pankaj Chakraborty said that the solid waste management project launched by the Palasbari Municipality Board would help Palasbari town to become the cleanest town in Asia and would become a model for replication in other cities of Assam and outside. He said that Palasbari town does not have minerals or other natural resources but the town had human resources and the untapped human resources would be fully tapped to convert Palasbari town into a rural tourism hotspot as the most beautiful clean town of Asia.
�Generally, tourists come to Palasbari LAC to see the famous Chandubi lake and its adjoining beautiful natural sceneries only, but now I expect that from next year onwards, the tourists� inflow to Palasbari LAC would not only be for the Chandubi lake but also to see Palasbari town as the cleanest town of Asia ,� he said.
Chakraborty further said that the Palasbari Municipality Board was one of the oldest municipality boards of Assam and Palasbari was the first commercial centre of Assam which had lost its glory now due to several factors and he stressed on returning the past glory of Palasbari town.
Dr Amarjyoti Kashyap of the ENVIRON spoke in details as to how degradable and non-degradable wastes had been polluting the world and gave a detailed account on how to convert wastes into a money earning resources. Dr Kashyap said that the present problem of solid waste management were chiefly created by light plastics such as plastic carry bags, pouch packs of biscuits, tea-leaves, spices and others and he described in details methods of producing different necessary household items like chairbacks, mattresses, table mats, table tops, garlands etc., from the segregated light plastic waste.
He said that organic waste could be used for making organic manure and bio-pest repellents. He said that community vermicomposting units would be constructed to develop a successful model of community biodegradable solid waste management. He said that power (electricity) units could be developed by using non-recyclable solid waste which would act as the successful money making device.
