Mangaluru
Environmentalists will urge the forest department to take necessary steps to check the menace of plastic and other waste on Charmadi and Shiradi ghats, especially during Shivaratri when thousands of devotees hold padayatra to holy places.
Volunteer of Hasiru Tapassu Sachin Bide told that a memorandum will be submitted to the forest department seeking measures to stop devotees from throwing plastic bags and other disposable items into the forests during their padayatra to holy places.
Holding padayatra to Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala during Shivaratri is a tradition and thousands of devotees from various parts of the state walk miles to reach the temple via Charmadi and Shiradi Ghats. Since Shivaratri will be celebrated on March 8, devotees from various parts of the state will start arriving from March 5, he said. While thousands of devotees hold padayatra, they dispose of plastic bottles and other waste items at roadsides on Charmadi and Shiradi Ghats. This will lead to pollution of the ghats and water resources. Hence, there should be restrictions on the use of plastic bottles and other items on the stretch, he said. Dinesh Holla, convener of Sahyadri Sanchaya, said that the nearby water streams get polluted when plastic bottles and other non-biodegradable items are disposed of in the forest.
We have noticed loads of plastic and other wastes on the stretches after the padayatra. They requested the forest officials to take necessary steps to prevent pollution.
