MAPUSA: The Bodgeshwar Devasthan committee in collaboration with Mapusa Municipal Council and Goa Waste Management has decided to make the Bodgeshwar zatra plastic free.
The Bodgeshwar zatra is one of the biggest festivals in Mapusa attracting thousands of devotees and tourists. The zatra will be celebrated from December 31 to January 7.
Every year lot of garbage is created during the zatra turning the place into an eyesore, which takes 15 days for the municipality to clear. To prevent such a situation, the temple committee has put in place a mechanism to make the zatra garbage free.
This year, the committee has banned use of plastic completely at the zatra and has made provision for fiber, paper and cloth bags for people.
The committee further informed that tea/refreshment stalls would not be allowed to us plastic tea cups, straws and other such items at the zatra. Stock of vendors using plastic material will also be confiscated and action will be taken against them.
The committee has informed that these bags would be made available at nominal rates for the vendors and the people.
On its part, the MMC would also place dustbins at various locations for the vendors and people to dispose of the waste. Besides, the municipality has assigned its councilors and officers various responsibilities for maintaining cleanliness and keeping the zatra plastic-free.
Chairperson Rohan Kavlekar informed that two engineers are assigned to keep a check on the zatra, while two councilors have been assigned to supervise a team of 25 workers who would ensure that no extra garbage is created and the people dispose of the garbage in the bins.
The municipality would put up banners and distribute pamphlets to create awareness among the people about keeping the zatra plastic and garbage free.
Separate staff would collect wet garbage from the vendors/stalls. The wet waste will be collected twice or thrice a day according to requirement.
