Patna: Solar-charged vehicles, ban on plastic - so much can be done to minimise pollution in the city, students said here on Saturday.

Tarumitra had organised an inter-school dialogue on pollution and its solutions. Students from Notre Dame Academy, St Michael's High School, Mount Carmel High School, The Tribhuvan School, Loyola High School, Radiant International School among others took part in the competition.

Two students each from the senior section of the schools spoke at the programme. They demanded the transport department to operate solar-charged vehicles that not only save electricity but lower pollution levels, advocated promotion of electrostatic precipitator that uses electric charge to remove impurities from air, and a complete ban on plastic

Notre Dame Academy students Neha Verma and Aditi Abhijeet won the first and second positions respectively, followed by Vatsala Pandey from St Michael's High School. Loyola High School bagged the green school award.

"Talking about gravity of pollution won't help, we should seek solutions to try minimise the pollution level and start implementing them to get results," Neha said, suggesting use of the electrostatic precipitator.

Loyola High School's Shashank Prakash said "jute and other eco-friendly substitutes should be encouraged" while Abhishek Mishra, student of St Dominic Savio's High School, said the transport department should come up with solar-charged vehicles.

Ashok Ghosh, chairman of the Bihar State Pollution Control Board, was the chief guest on Saturday.

Rossy Alexandra, a green leader from Zamorano University in Honduras, was the special guest on the occasion. She urged the students: "You start a movement here in Patna, I would take it further in the United States."

Senior Notre Dame Academy and St Michael's High School teachers Abha Chaudhary, Amita Jha and Tarumitra founder Father Robert Athickal judged the participants.