Plastic Ban at Chinnaganjam Beaches from June 1

Vijayawada:Bapatla district collector V. Vinod Kumar announced a complete ban on the use of plastic on beaches in Chinnaganjam mandal from June 1 as part of efforts to turn the coastal belt into a major tourist destination.

Participating in the Swachhandra-Swarnandhra program at Gonasapudi village on Saturday, the collector said beaches, mangrove forests and backwater areas will be developed along the lines of Suryalanka Beach and Chirala Beach.

Vinod Kumar said that the N. Chandrababu Naidu-led state government aims to develop nearly 900 km of Andhra Pradesh coastline to boost tourism and livelihoods.

He said the plastic ban would also boost women’s self-help groups producing cloth bags from old saris, and beaches would attract 10,000 to 15,000 visitors on weekends. Bank loans are provided to encourage such initiatives.

The collector later participated in Jaladhara-Jalaharathi activities, planting coconut saplings, launching awareness rallies on sanitation and dengue fever, and distributing bank link checks to women self-help groups.