Use of plastic bags banned in religious institutions -Minister Palemar

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, November 2: District-in-charge Minister Krishna J. Palemar said that the state ministry of environment and ecology has already issued a circular banning the use of plastic in Hindu temples and other religious places. He added that the ban will be strictly implemented within one week.  He was interacting with media persons on Monday on the occasion of Rajyothsava.

 

Palemar, who is also the muzrai minister and the minister of environment and ecology, warned that those who ignore the order will be severely penalized. According to the circular, a fine of Rs. 1 lakh or imprisonment of 7 years will be imposed on those who violate this rule, which is included in the Environment Protection Act. This order puts religious establishments in the list of places such as national parks and wildlife sanctuaries where plastic is banned.

Palemar also informed that Pilikula Nisargadhama near Mangalore will soon get a new botanical park sprawling over 50 acres. This project, which is worth Rs. 15 crore, is meant for the preservation and protection of hundreds of endangered plants in the Western Ghats. He informed reporters that plants in the Western Ghats are becoming extinct and that only 18,000 of the once 48,000 floral species are now available.

 

A herbarium and a heritage village sprawling over 300 acres will also be established in the area, said Palemar.