Plastic Elimination Drive at Girgaon Chowpatty on World Environment Day

Environment Minister Pankaja Munde urges citizens to avoid single-use plastic

Mumbai – On the occasion of World Environment Day, a plastic elimination cleanliness drive was carried out at Girgaon Chowpatty in the presence of Environment and Climate Change Minister Pankaja Munde. Speaking at the event, Minister Munde emphasized the need for citizens to avoid the use of single-use plastic as part of the government’s commitment to protecting the Earth.

The drive was jointly organized by the Department of Environment and Climate Change, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The event saw participation from MPCB Chairman Siddhesh Kadam, Member Secretary Dr. Avinash Dhakne, students from various colleges, municipal sanitation workers, and local citizens.

Minister Munde and Mr. Kadam inspected the cleanliness work at Girgaon Chowpatty and interacted with sanitation workers, even participating in the cleaning activity themselves. Minister Munde informed that a campaign to eliminate single-use plastic across Maharashtra has been running since May 22. She reiterated that the use of such plastic must be completely stopped and efforts are underway to find ways to recycle the existing plastic. Trusts, religious places, hospitals, pharmacies, and other public institutions are being involved in raising awareness and implementing restrictions on plastic usage.

Public awareness was also created on planting and preserving trees, avoiding plastic, saving water, using solar energy and bicycles, and opting for eco-friendly alternatives like cloth bags.

Various organizations presented street plays to raise awareness about the dangers of single-use plastic. Members of the Muktai Waste Management Services, along with students from Joshi-Bedekar College and other institutions, chanted slogans and cleaned up the beach as part of the drive, reinforcing the message of environmental responsibility.