With its vibrant culture, Majuli Island is a popular tourist destination with lush greenery and a vast variety of flora and fauna but this tourist hotspot has recently made into the headlines for being on the verge of submergence due to excessive discharge and erosion by the Brahmaputra river that flows by. Another major issue of excess plastic being dumped in the river has further degraded the conditions of the island as well as the river. The plastic bags in the river, have resulted in the contamination of water and soil and is indirectly affecting the ponds which will soon be a major problem.
Hence to get things under control, the use of plastic products like polybags, plastic straws, PET bottles, plastic pouches and polystyrene products like plates, bowls and glasses will be completely prohibited. Under provisions of section 188 of the IPC, the world’s largest river island Majuli is to go plastic- free as the district administration has already prohibited the sale and use of plastic bags, tobacco and gutkha leaves.
An order issued on Monday, September 9 by the District Magistrate Naren Das said,“In view of the use of plastic bags becoming a serious problem to public life, and also the consumption of tobacco leaves, gutkha being injurious to public health, the use, sale and purchase of all kinds of plastic bags and the tobacco products have been prohibited with immediate effect,”. The order is initially expected to be in place for 60 days or until further orders. As per the said order, any violation of the directive will lead to punishment under provisions of Section 188 of the IPC.
Needless to say, this looks like a must-needed initiative in order to contribute towards an eco-friendly environment and save all the gem-like places on our planet earth. This also means, that with the island becoming plastic-free, you will get to witness a more beautiful and cleaner side of Majuli Island on your next holiday in Assam. Sounds like a win-win, doesn’t it?!
