Daijiworld Media Network - Margao

Margao, Nov 11: The chief officer of Margao Municipal Council (MMC) Agnelo Fernandes on Tuesday urged people of Margao to celebrate Deepavali without bursting firecrackers.

He also requested the people to avoid the use of single-use plastic items as a means of preserving the environment. “Let each one of us make a little difference by not burning firecrackers during this Deepavali and make use of bags and containers made from eco-friendly material,” Fernandes said.

He asked the shop owners not to provide plastic carry bags below 50 microns to their customers and instead use cloth bags, non-plastic items and containers for packaging, gifts, parcels, etc. “These plastic items litter the streets, block the drains and when burnt release toxic chemicals and contaminate the air,” he said.

Further, the MMC chief officer asserted that the NGT had issued notices to 23 states and union territories last week over violation of the ban on firecrackers. He rued that the people still give mixed garbage to waste collection workers and that some even argue with them over the issue, Fernandes urged people to give only segregated waste as “otherwise it defeats the very purpose of door-to-door garbage collection”.