Any traveller, trekker, pilgrim or visitor to the Himalaya will on an average return with horrific tales of hill-sides festooned with red and yellow plastic wrappers, empty mineral water bottles and tonnes of plastic. The usual reflex? Form groups to cart this garbage away for we live in environment conscious times.
Few have thought of getting to the very source to plug the damage and the havoc being caused. The very factories, that produce these plastic packagings. One such group, that has year after year been visiting the Himalaya are Officer Trainees of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie.
This year’s Phase One has come up with a more innovative solution. 181 probationers of the IAS and the Royal Bhutanese Civil Service have appealed to CEO’s of four leading instant noodle manufacturers namely Maggi, Top Ramen, Yipee and Patanjali to introduce bulk re-usable packages for instant noodles (preferably in 10/20kg packets) to distribute them along to the dhabas, the stalls, eateries or Maggi-Points that have mushroomed through-out the Hill-state, in an attempt to minimise litter.
They have also appealed to the CEOs to not only consider bulk packaging for instant noodles but also bio-degradable packaging which they feel will go a long way in keeping the hills green and plastic-litter free.
During their 5 months stay at the Mussoorie Academy along with few treks into the Himalayas during their winter study tour led the Officers Trainee to do something about the excessive use of plastic for food packages being sold. A proactive signature campaign was started within the Academy to take up this pressing use and change things around.
If anyone listens, then in the times to come, rest assured the State flower i.e. the elusive yet beautiful Brahma-kamal will soon replace the ugly carpet of modern debris left behind on our otherwise pristine mountains.
