Science City now falls victim to plastic plague

KOLKATA: Though 10 tourist and heritage spots in the city have been designated as plastic-free zones, the Science City off the EM Bypass is not on the list drawn up by the state Pollution Control Board. NGOs, too, are expecting Science City to clean up on its own.
However, the plastic menace is telling on the museum. Plastic cups float in the fish tank near the evolution park, which houses the dinosaurs, tetra-packs litter the grounds and the ubiquitous polythene bags are everywhere.
“We are not here to put everyone’s house in order.The concerned authority has to educate their staff and contractors to keep it clean,� said PCB additional directorgeneral Sultan Singh. Most of the sprawling science museum’s services, including conservancy, catering and parking, have been outsourced to private contractors.
There are monitoring officers responsible for periodic reviewing of the performance of these agencies. “We have a security and maintenance officer who oversees the performance of the contractors. Any anomaly is dealt with by him,� said acting director of Science City S.K. Ray.
“We can only clean up after the park shuts in the evening. People refuse to walk even six feet extra and use the bin. They just throw their garbage around. Holidays are particularly bad,� said a Science City officer.
However, the Science City not yet on the hit list of NGOs. “Next on our list are the clubs and caterers who generate huge amounts of plastic waste,� said Bonani Kakkar of Concern for Kolkata.