AGRA: Ahead of World Environment Day on June 5, Union minister for culture and environment Mahesh Sharma on Sunday administered a pledge to Agra residents for making areas around Taj Mahal, in a radius of 500 metres, free of litter and polythene and reducing the presence of single-use plastic products near and around the monument.
At a programme of ‘Taj Declaration to Beat Plastic Pollution’, the Union minister said this decision was taken by the central and state government and a similar rule would be applied to 100 “adarsh” monuments across the nation. The pledge was taken in the presence of Erik Solheim, executive director of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), goodwill ambassador and actress Diya Mirza, local MPs, MLAs and administrative officials, among others.
Sharma said the entire world is facing the problem of pollution caused by excessive use of plastic. “It is a historic moment that the message of ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’ is being given from the iconic monument Taj Mahal to the people across the world,” he said.
“It is the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to achieve ‘Swachch Bharat’. It is an appropriate occasion to spread his message from the Taj Mahal to reduce plastic use, re-use, recycle, re-collect, re-design and re-manufacture it and to demonstrate our commitment to reduction of pollution caused by plastic.”
Solheim expressed happiness that the UN slogan of ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’ for this year’s Environment Day was being highlighted from the Taj Mahal – a global symbol of love. “The coming together of the Centre, state, local administration and all other stakeholders is heartening and I hope that Agra will soon take the shape of a smart, green city,” he said.
Goodwill ambassador Diya Mirza also expressed happiness that all agencies were together taking forward the message of a pollution-free Taj Mahal. “Bringing down the negative impact of pollution by reducing plastic use in their everyday lives is the responsibility of each individual,” she added.
Earlier, Sharma, Solheim and Mirza also participated in the Clean Yamuna Programme on the riverfront along the Taj. This was followed by a quick tour of the monument.
Prasanta Patnaik