Siliguri, May 7: By the villagers, of the villagers,
for a tempting tourist destination: That is Unesco's plan for Sukhnabazar
and the biggest tourist draw in the hills - the toy train.
The quaint village flanked by the Mahananda
Wildlife Sanctuary and hemmed in by the looping toy train, has been
chosen for a flagship clean-up venture.
The Sukna station enjoys the heritage status granted by the Unesco
in 2000. The motive - educating villagers about hygiene and build a self-sustaining
solid waste recycling project. The expected return - a spruced by
Sukna station that draws tourists to take a ride on the heritage
on wheels.
The drive will soon encompass other villages around DHR stations
of the Darjeeling district, like Kurseong and Ghoom. The project will get underway from June.
Apart from direct involvement of some local NGOs, and families
having properties in the hills of Darjeeling, Unesco has entrusted
the solid waste management project to the Calcutta-based Indian
Plastic Federation (IFP).
IPF officials from Calcutta said the villagers would be taught
to segregate organic and inorganic waste and told about the recycling
plastics. `This is a model project for Suknabazar. We had visited the
village with local NGO members last week. The panchayat members
seem very enthusiastic about the entire venture. Panchayat Pradhan and the local villagers have shown interest to
be included in the project committee,` said R.A. Lohia, president
of the IPF and Plastics in Environment Committee.
The project aims at creating a replicable model for the collection,
storage and recycling of dry and wet waste separately with the help
of rag pickers. The villagers will be taught the mode of storing garbage in a proper
way so that they can be properly recycled. `Dry waste like rubber, plastic, glass, paper and metals are
recyclable, and profitable. Wet kitchen waste is a good as manure.
This segregation saves time and expenses of the recycling process.
We will install dustbins in every possible corner to stop littering,`
said Lohia.
`Though the project has been entrusted of IPF and will cost
an estimated Rs. 1 lakh, the project is self-sustainable and will
earn on its own once it begins`, he added. |
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