Life in plastic, is not fantastic!

The green in the Army uniform is showing, and with the College of Military Engineering (CME) banning the use of plastic within its campus, t...

The green in the Army uniform is showing, and with the College of Military Engineering (CME) banning the use of plastic within its campus, this time, it spells environmental concern.

The momentous decision taken last week makes the CME among a handful of establishments across the country to have taken a concrete step to do something about the problem of non-biodegradable plastic, which has not only been known to cause animal deaths by getting stuck in the intestine but also causes land to turn barren when it mixes with the soil and lets out poisonous fumes on combustion.

A drive inside the verdant and beautifully-maintained campus of this premier engineering college, which trains the engineering regiment officers of the Indian Army, is in itself a pleasurable exercise. Wide sweeping roads fringed by tall trees, shaded bus stops, streetlights and road markers add to the looming magnificence of the big dome of the main building, with a larger-than-life-size clock ticking away in military precision, perchedhigh atop a rising tower.

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What led to the ban on plastic was the spectacle of these multicoloured bags caught in the branches of trees, waving away merrily in the breeze or simply dispersed by scavengers and the wind, something that the CME top bosses did not appreciate. Another common sight were wandering buffaloes, grazing expressionlessly on plastic-wrapped garbage or spoilt fruit, completely oblivious to the damage it would cause. “There are 12,000 people staying within the campus, and this includes 2,000 families. Plastic bags, which were collecting to the extent of 8,000 a day, had become a nuisance,” says Major General S D Sohoni, deputy commandant, CME.

Rather than suffer the ills, a board decision was taken to put a stop to the rising malaise. While the decision had been taken more than six months back, implementation was not ensured till last week when a stern note was circulated to all shop owners within the CME shopping complex, a circular marketplace set within the campus. “We have placeda fine of Rs 2,000 on anybody breaking the ban by selling goods in plastic packets,” says Gen Sohoni.

The outcome has been immediate. Fruits like grapes and apples are being sold in brown paper packets while papayas and watermelons come wrapped in newspaper. Shoppers have started carrying there own baskets and bags for grocery and stationery. Though it might have become a bit more cumbersome, officers and their families have fast come to appreciate that burgers and pastries in paper sacks taste just as good as those packed in plastic bags.

With boats going into the river thrice a week to clean it off the suffocating hyacinth, and a ban on shooting or fishing inside the campus (that boasts of considerable wildlife – both birds, animals as well as fish), the CME is doing its bit to lessen the load on Mother Nature.