The Railway Ministry has imposed a strict ban on single-use plastic material in all the railway units across the nation in effect from October 2 which marks the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The Railways stated that the initiative would boost the government’s initiative of protecting the environment.

In his address to the nation on Independence Day, PM Narendra Modi had requested the citizens to minimise and eliminate single-use plastic and urged to replace them with jute and paper bags instead.

Furthermore, he also advised the authorities across the stretch of the nation to make suitable arrangements for collecting plastic as the “first strong step” to initiate the noble thought.

Ministry of Railways directed all the railway units to enforce the ban on single-use plastic materials with a thickness of fewer than 50 microns, which will be in effect from Gandhi Jayanti this year.

To preserve the Environment, Indian Railways resolves to ban single use plastic material in Railway premises from 2nd Oct.2019. Minimal generation of plastic waste & its eco-friendly disposal is being emphasised.
Join us in our endeavour to make IR as ‘Plastic Free Railways’. pic.twitter.com/GaE7IkmLoe

— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) August 21, 2019

The ministry has urged the railway vendors and staff to avoid the use of plastic bags, and also keep in mind the three R principles of “reuse, reduce and refuse” while using plastic containers.

The ministry also advised the staff to use relatively inexpensive reusable bags in place of the plastic bags.

Lok Sabha Follows Railway Ministry’s Footsteps

The Lok Sabha Secretariat has also decided to avoid the use of non-reusable water bottles and all the plastic items within the Parliament complex. The Secretariat termed it as “a step towards the call by the Prime Minister to the nation to make the country free from plastics”.

This initiative by the Lok Sabha Secretariat is a step towards the call by the Prime Minister to the nation to make the country free from plastics.

— LOK SABHA (@LokSabhaSectt) August 21, 2019

360 Stations To Get Bottle Crushers

The Railway Board has directed the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Development Corporation (IRCTC) to implement the return of plastic drinking bottles from the pulbic. The board also directed the authorities to accelerate the installation of 1853 plastic water bottles crushing machines at 360 major stations across the nation in the first phase.

The General Managers of Zonal Railways and Production Units have been told to encourage all railway vendors to avoid the use of plastic carry bags.

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