Bhubaneswar Civic Body Celebrates New Year By Gifting Saplings, Cloth Bags & Books

Bhubaneswar: After its ‘Go Green’ appeal, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday lead by example and distributed saplings among city denizens as New Year gift.

BMC Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary also appealed to the people to do away with plastics and polythene to make the Odisha capital clean and green.

The BMC along with Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL) have been collectively campaigning to promote ‘Green Gifts’ this New Year. Plants, books and souvenirs representing local art and crafts are being encouraged by the municipal body, besides gifts having no plastic wrapping.

The civic body has also opened five kiosks and gifting cloth bags, books and plants to the people to spread awareness against the use of plastics. It will also run a mobile van to spread the message.

“We hope through this activity at five places across the city people will be motivated to adopt such step in their day-to-day lives. They would also tend to use the cotton bag gifted by BMC when they will go for shopping/outing,” Chaudhary said.

In total, the BMC distributed 2,200 cotton bags, 1,000 books and 2,600 saplings through five distribution points and one in the early morning hours near BMC gate.

On December 17, the BMC had earlier rolled out ‘Meal for Plastic’ initiative across all 11 Aahar centres in the city to beat plastic pollution.

The BMC Commissioner said that sanitation, approval of building plans by the BDA and digitisation of public services will a priority in 2020.