With rampant littering of plastic along the National Highways passing through tiger reserves in the country posing a threat to wildlife, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), an autonomous body under the Union Environment Ministry is banking on the eco development committees composed of locals among others to keep the regions plastic-free.
Chandra Prakash Goyal, Director-General of Forests & Special Secretary (DGF&SS) from the Ministry said that the move aims to make the habitat of the big cats and other wildlife free from plastic which is negatively impacting wildlife.
There have been instances where wild animals have been found eating plastic waste thrown by the tourists. A few of them also died. Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav, too, expressed concern at growing piles of plastic garbage in protected forest areas and shared how during his visit to Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan recently, he was shocked to see a black buck chewing a plastic bag.
He said this at a press conference held on Tuesday while talking about the ban on single use plastic items being imposed nationwide from July 1. Later, NTCA member secretary and Addl DG(Project Tiger) SP YADAV explained that the ETC members have been deployed in at least 50 tiger regions or sanctuaries where National Highways are passing through to keep a check on plastic menace. “It is difficult to keep a check on commuters of the vehicles who casually throw away plastics items such as bags or plastic straws on the roads. This harms the health of the animals who ingest them, thinking it as food,” he said.
Apart from the National Highways, there are temples inside many forest areas including Sariska Tiger Reserve, Ranthambore National Park and Jhalana Forest Reserve where efforts to keep the regions plastic-free is not so easy.
Yadav said that the ETC members are asked to recycle the collected plastic waste. “This provides livelihood to the locals as well as keeps the tiger reserves, sanctuaries and reserve forest areas plastic free particularly at a time when our focus is on banning the single use plastic items.
In tiger reserves where no National Highways exist, the visitors are provided a textile bag to carry their non-plastic items for which they have to deposit Rs 50 at entry gate.