Indore: While many Indian cities are struggling to deal with plastic waste, a village in Indore has emerged as an inspiration by successfully banning single-use plastic and announcing itself as plastic-free in just 80 days.
This became possible with the unified efforts of Gram Panchayat and the villagers.
Located 10 km away from Indore, Sindoda village is popularly known as the 'Blue Village' of Madhya Pradesh because of the blue houses and walls at every corner here.
The blue colour holds another meaning too, according to villagers the colour signifies the village being plastic-free. The walls are adorned with anti-plastic slogans and cleanliness quotes.
On the occasion of 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, villagers of Sindoda decided to make their village, which abodes 385 houses, free from single-use plastic.
The Gram Panchayat started running awareness campaigns in October, educating the villagers about the ill-effects of the plastic, and within a span of 80 days, the villagers decided to shun its use.
Initially, the locals faced a lot of problems but soon they began using eco-friendly bags to carry groceries and other home items.
There are cardboard dustbins placed at appropriate places to discard single-use plastic.
There are around 10 teams to monitor the plastic usage in every shop and house.
In order to encourage the people, a tree near the Gram Panchayat building has also been decorated with cloth bags.
Following Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy- “Be the change you want to see in the world”, the 'Blue village' is endeavouring to achieve the objectives of 'Swachh Bharat ' mission.
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