Hyderabad: Nearly three months after banning the use of plastic since July, the Amrabad Tiger Reserve authorities have managed to collect a staggering 3.7 tonnes of plastic plastic.
Officials from the Amrabad Tiger Reserve said are also continuing their rigorous checkings at checkpoints to make sure that any plastic carried into the area by travellers or others who pass by the route do not carry it any further. The plastic is taken away by forest officers who also educate citizens about the law which has come into effect only this year.
Apart from banning plastic in the Amrabad Tiger Reserve area, officials have also appointed ‘Swachh Sevaks’ who pick up all the plastic they find along the route. “They fill the plastic up in bags which our department then takes and after segregation it is sent to the cement industry,” said Swetha Gorrapally, Education Officer, ATR.
Moreover, movement of traffic via the Amrabad Tiger Reserve is now restricted to 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. Forest officials at the Mannanur, Durvasula, and Domalapenta checkpoints check and seize disposable plastic materials like bottles, polythene covers, etc. According to ATR data, 1.5 tonnes of plastic was collected in July, 1.2 tonnes in August and about one tonne in September so far.
The Amrabad Tiger Reserve, spread over 2,611 square kilometres of the Nallamala forest in Telangana, sees a lot of traffic as a 70-odd kilometer stretch of highway passes through it as that is the main route for pilgrims to also visit the Srisailam temple. On festival days, a few thousand vehicles pass through it as the temple is important for people to visit in the state.
The reserve, which has 33 tigers, is one of the largest in India that extends between Nagarkurnool and Nalgonda districts of Telangana that is also part of the Eastern Ghats chain in India. It is the second largest reserve in terms of core area but also the sixth largest in terms of total area among the 51 tiger reserves in India. It shares area with the Nagarjunasagar Tiger Reserve in Andhra Pradesh.
The Education Officer also told Siasat.com that as of now officials are not levying fines on people for carrying plastic as they are still creating awareness. “We also only use biodegradable plates inside which are made by women,” added Swetha. As of now, the Amrabad Tiger Reserve’s safaris are shut as per National Tiger Conservation Authority guidelines until September end.
Bookings for the safaris can be done online and will begin from the first week of October. Details and other information about the Amrabad Tiger Reserve, which is about 150 kilometres away from Hyderabad, can be found here.
