GUWAHATI: In an attempt to keep celebration of Durga Puja in bustling greater Guwahati area environment-friendly, Eco tourism Society of North East has instituted the prestigious Prakriti Award 2017 – The Best Environment Friendly Durga Puja of Guwahati.
This is the seventh year of the award and the motive is to highlight the combined effort of all the Durga Puja committees to keep the surrounding clean and green. Since 2011 the number of eco-friendly idols in Guwahati has increased from 3 to 75 and this year most of the major Durga Puja committees are using eco-friendly materials in decorating their pandals which itself speaks the awareness generated by the Prakriti Award.
For registration Durga Puja Committees can WhatsApp or SMS their contact number at 9706695577 following which NGO members will visit the puja committees for completing the registration process.
One of the main objectives of the initiative is to create massive awareness regarding our environment and tourism resources. The NGO has successfully conducted the noble initiative in the past six years and has received excellent response from the Durga Puja Committees of Guwahati.
“We conduct the same in five phases starting from registration, pre, ongoing and post Puja survey and finally the award distribution. During the initiative our NGO members will collect data on the history, theme, uniqueness and various measures that the Durga Puja Committees has taken to minimize the negative impacts on our environment. Also our members will encourage and motivate the Puja Committees to have Eco Friendly Idols and to design their Pandals on themes related to tourism and environment.,” an official of the NGO said
Puja Committees having proper arrangement related to clean drinking water, dustbins, fire extinguishers, trained volunteers for managing traffic etc., will get added advantage during the competition.
The Award ensures that all puja committees maintain proper guidelines regarding cleanliness and hygiene. Although everyone remains winner in the competition as the ultimate objective is to keep the environment clean. The NGO encourages the Puja Committees to organize art competitions, debates, drama competitions on themes related to North East India Tourism. This year the winner will be declared on October 19, 2017.
This “Prakriti Award” gives due recognition to the puja committees following the environmental norms and will also motivate other puja committees to keep our environment green. Over the years, this award has become one of the