Odisha Forest and Environment Department on Monday ordered prohibition of single-use plastic inside sanctuaries, national park, tiger reserves and ecotourism area of the State from April 1.
“Alternate drinking water facilities will be provided for the tourists at different places inside the Protected Areas and refundable plastic water bottles may be provided for them at the entry points,” says a notification issued exercising power under section 33(C) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act,1972.
Visitors carrying food items in plastic wraps shall be advised to dispose of the wraps in designated places or garbage bins and not to litter the protected areas.
“All the plastic garbage generated from visitors’ sources or camps or nature camps and other places inside the protected areas will be disposed off in accordance with existing guidelines and local panchayats or urban bodies,” it says.
“While this was necessitated for protecting habitats of the last mile of our State, it is reiterated that the public at large should not be put to inconvenience,” said Susanta Nanda, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) in his instruction.
In the nature camps, the guests will be provided with water bottles made of steel or material other than plastic along with provisions of water dispensers.
