Campaign to end plastic menace at Sabarimala soon

KOTTAYAM: The Pathanamthitta district administration is planning to conduct a campaign outside the state in June asking the Sabarimala pilgrims not to bring plastic items inside their Irumudikettu.  Plastic has been causing severe pollution at Sabarimala after the pilgrimage season. The ban on plastic has not been implemented properly on the way to Sabarimala and Pampa. "We have decided to approach the government for conducting an extensive campaign outside the state," district collector R. Girija told DC. 

The forest department says that most of the plastic waste materials are dumped at these places by the pilgrims from other states. The plastic ban was implemented from Nilakkal to Sannidhanam over a distance of 24 km by the end of 2015. However, this has been ineffective. The Travancore Devaswom Board is also planning to conduct an awareness campaign among the Guruswamis coming from other states. "We will contact the registered Guruswamis for this purpose," TDB president A. Padmakumar told DC.