Guwahati, Nov 10 (PTI) As part of post-Diwali disposal this year, Assam has decided to use banana plants and leaves as fodder for elephants or compost meant for agricultural purposes, officials said on Friday.
The initiative is part of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs’ ‘Swachh Diwali, Shubh Diwali’ campaign across the country, under which cities are focusing on celebrating the festival of lights in an eco-friendly manner, they said.
The state unit of the Swachh Bharat Mission, Urban, has come up with the idea of collecting the banana plants and using these for other purposes, an official release said.
In Assam, banana plants are placed at the entrance of houses or commercial establishments with small wooden planks stuck to the sides, on which earthen lamps are placed and lit.
As the plants have no other use the next morning, these are generally thrown in the garbage bins or roadsides, especially in the urban areas.
To ensure post-Diwali cleanliness, the banana trees, stems and leaves that will be left unused the next day will be handed over to the national parks around urban local bodies for use as fodder for elephants, the release said.
In places where there are no national parks in the vicinity, people are urged to cut the banana trees into small pieces and hand these to the urban local bodies for disposal. The municipal staff will then provide the stems of the trees to cow shelters or ‘waste-to-compost’ pits, it said.
There are already 104 central compost pits at various places and over 6,000 domestic ones, the release added.
The Gauhati Municipal Corporation has also appealed to residents to use its helpline number to get the banana plants collected.
“Don’t toss the banana trees on the streets. Call GMC on our helpline number, and we’ll pick them up! Whether they’re unsold or used, we’ll ensure proper disposal. Let’s light up the city without littering it. Together, we can make a difference!” the GMC said on X. PTI SSG RBT
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