Telangana Assembly premises is now plastic-free

The Telangana State Legislative Assembly premises have been declared as a plastic-free zone. The Legislative Assembly Committee on Wildlife and Environment Protection which met under the chairmanship of Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy here on Monday took a decision in this regard and imposed ban on usage of plastic, including water bottles, on the Assembly premises.

The Committee which reviewed ongoing programmes like Haritha Haram, protection of forests and wildlife, rejuvenation of forests and environment-friendly initiatives among others, decided to implement environment-friendly measures on the Assembly premises immediately.

Speaking on the occasion, Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy said only environmental-friendly goods, including earthen pots and metal or glassware, will be used on the Assembly premises with immediate effect.

He urged all legislators to set an example for others by avoiding plastic usage and practising environmental-friendly measures. He directed the officials to examine reason for lack of adequate water in Manjeera river despite all other rivers in the State getting good inflows. He also wanted them to create adequate number of water pits in reserve forest areas using CAMPA funds to ensure water availability



for wildlife.

“People need pollution-free air, water and food to lead a healthy life. They must realise that their participation is essential in protecting environment and forests,” the Speaker said. He urged people to participate in the State government’s programmes to make Telangana State into the most environmental friendly and livable State in the country.

The Committee also appreciated Rajya Sabha MP J Santosh Kumar for his successful initiative ‘Green India Challenge’ which had been encouraging public participation in increasing the green cover in the country. It felt that the Green India Challenge can be considered as an icing on the cake in addition to the Haritha Haram programme. Many members of the Committee including the Speaker pointed out that they took part in the challenge and planted saplings.

The Committee members MLCs Seri Subhash Reddy, Puranam Satish, Mirza Riyaz Ul Hassan, MLAs Ch Rammohan Reddy, M Bhupal Reddy, Moazzam Khan, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests R Sobha, Telangana State Pollution Control Board member secretary Anil Kumar, Assembly Secretary Narasimhacharyulu, Irrigation engineer-in-chief Muralidhar and other officials were present.