Mount Abu (Raj): With shards of beer bottles posing a threat to wild animals in Mount Abu, the district administration has launched an initiative to promote beer cans instead of bottles.
Sub Divisional Officer (Mount Abu) Ravindra Goswami told PTI that empty beer bottles are usually dumped in forest areas and water bodies in large numbers.
When Nakki Lake was cleaned sometime back, thousands of empty beer bottles were recovered from it and three tractors had to be used to shift the bottles, he added.
Glass shards from broken are also found scattered in the Mount Abu wildlife sanctuary area which harms wild animals like sloth bears and causes problems for tourists.
The officer said a meeting was held with liquor shop licensees recently where they agreed upon the new arrangement which was taken in the interest of ecology and tourism.
There are five licensees in Mount Abu and on average 40,000-50,000 bottles are sold every month.
“There are companies which sell beer in both bottles and cans and we have requested the licensees to push the sale of cans. Bottles will be sold of only those companies which do not sell cans,” the official said.
He said the customer will be charged an extra Rs 20 for each bottle which will be refunded if the empty bottles are returned.
They would be suitably disposed of later, Goswami said, adding that ragpickers will be given an incentive for collecting unbroken bottles.
He said the administration aimed to bring down the use of beer bottles by at least half in the next few months.
Mount Abu, located at a height of 1,220 meters on the Aravalli mountain range, is visited by lakhs of tourists every year and the footfall is higher during summers.
Ban on plastic
The Sirohi administration and the Forest Department have decided to ban the use of plastic in Rajasthan’s Mount Abu from August 15.
The move aimed at protecting the environment and wildlife. The decision to ban plastic was taken at a meeting of officials from the district administration and the Forest Department Tuesday.
“We have decided to free Mount Abu from plastic in the interest of fauna and fauna. Plastic harms the ecology due to which it will be completely banned from August 15,” Mount Abu SDM Dr Ravindra Goswami told PTI.
The ban will cover plastic carry bags, boxes, thermocol cups, plates and other disposable plastic items. Similarly, packed water bottles will also be banned.
Automated water dispensing machines will be installed to provide cheap drinking water.
A team would be formed to check the use of plastic and suitable action would be taken for the violation of the directives, the SDM said.
The meeting, held by SDO Goswami and Deputy Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Balaji Kari, was attended by traders and public representatives. Mount Abu, a hill station at a height of 1,220 metres in the Aravalli mountain range, falls under the category of eco-sensitive zones.
The district administration has also launched an initiative to promote beer cans as shards of beer bottles pose a threat to wild animals in Mount Abu. (PTI)
