Vijayawada, May 16: Six months ago, the executive officer and staff of the Kanaka Durga temple in Vijayawada went around the surroundings of the temple and the Krishna bathing ghat to pick up the plastic trash.
It was meant to serve as a solemn encouragement to devotees to stop littering the sacred Indrakeeladri hill with plastic.
That’s where the temple’s war on plastic ended. Since then, all fervour for making Indrakeeladri a plastic-free precinct has fizzled out.
Devotees continue to go in and out of the temple clutching plastic bags filled with prayer material or prasadam.
The temple’s minders do not mind. Outside the shops right in front of the temple, you can see puja material, flowers and coconuts stuffed in plastic bags displayed to devotees.
The executive officer and the entire senior staff of the temple authority enter the temple by that route every day. But no one has noticed.
Right along the ghat road, devotees stop at the shops to buy coconuts and puja samagri in plastic carry bags.
The thousands who visit the temple emerge from it carrying their prasadam in plastic covers, which they duly dispose on the temple premises.
Sanitary staff clear the plastic within the temple premises, but outside the temple, it’s a plastic litter zone.
One pilgrim from Khammam, A Rajendra Prasad, said no one stopped him as he carried his prasadam in a plastic bag. “Plastic bags are available right here on the temple premises, sir,’’ he said in surprise.
Temple sanitation officials say they do notice the continued use of plastic carry bags by thousands of devotees but there is no biodegradable alternative in place.
Speaking to Express, temple executive officer M Raghunath says the temple has switched supply of laddus to biodegradable covers. By this month end, even pulihora will be supplied in biodegradable covers.
He agreed there was a need to discourage devotees from using plastic covers in the temple surroundings.
–Agencies