Residents were urged to make environmental friendly products and adopt traditional practices to eradicate plastic during the special gram sabha meetings held in villages in the district.
Special gram sabhas are organized in all local bodies compulsorily on the four public holidays, Republic Day, May 1, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanthi, every year. It is mandatory to have a specified number of people taking part in it. The sabhas will discuss all works to be carried out in the gram panchayat.
Collector K Veera Raghava Rao attended the gram sabha held in P Mettupatti in Alanganallur panchayat union. Speaking at the meeting, the district collector said that he was happy to see many women,including mothers and students, participate in the meeting.
“Last year, the 1946 villages in Madurai district in the 420 panchayats were declared open defecation free. This was achieved with the co-operation of the public. Similarly the public should help in declaring the district plastic free by using biodegradable alternatives from Jan 1, 2019 onwards. He said that students should encourage people to refrain from using plastics that could not be recycled and pollute the environment.
The collector also introduced a new product - nutties chocolates - from Aavin priced at Rs 30 for 45 grams. Gram sabhas were conducted in 450 village panchayats in Virudhunagar district as part of the 72nd Independence Day celebrations.