Ambikapur: Ambikapur Municipal Corporation (AMC) has come up with a unique initiative to make the city free from the menace of plastic waste.
AMC is all set to open a first-of-its-kind ‘Garbage Cafe’, which will give free food to poor people and rag pickers in exchange for one kilogram of plastic. The cafe will provide breakfast if someone will bring half a kilogram of plastic waste to the cafe.
“The solid waste management of the Ambikapur Municipal Corporation was successful. We have come up with a new provision that if someone brings one kilogram of plastic, he or she will get food for free and on half kilogram of plastic, they will get breakfast free. We have named this ‘Garbage Cafe,'” Ambikapur Mayor Ajay Tirkey told ANI.
“Our door-to-door waste collection process is already in place. We also re-sell plastic. The initiative will become successful. In the budget, we have allocated Rs 6 lakh for the cafe,” he added.
Opposition BJP and other parties have slammed the move saying that Ambikapur is already clean and it will be very tough for rag pickers to get plastic anywhere in the city.
“Ambikapur Municipal Corporation stood at the second spot in the country in cleanliness. Under the schemes, it is proposed that rag picker would get a free meal for one kilogram of plastic and breakfast for half-kilogram plastic. A man gets Rs 20 in exchange of one kilogram of plastic. The scheme of Dr Raman Singh is already there which provides Rs 1 per kg grain. The initiative would fail soon,” said Janmajay Mishra, Opposition Leader in AMC.
The residents of the city, however, have welcomed the move with many claiming that it would make the city cleaner.