March 4: Northeast Frontier Railway today launched a campaign to encourage its employees regarding the implementation of proper waste management habits in their quarters and to ban the use of plastic bags.

The campaign began at the railway colony at NFR headquarters, Maligaon.

Members of the NF Railway Women’s Welfare Organisation, Scouts and Guides and medical department participated in the drive.

The women’s organisation urged the people not to dispose of plastic on the roads and drains and staged a street play to create awareness on the issue.

“The campaign has been launched to minimise the use of polythene because throwing garbage (indiscriminately) not only makes our surroundings dirty but also clogs the drains, creating problems for the environment,” NFR’s chief public relations officer S. Hajong said in a statement.

As part of the garbage management project, NF Railway will provide two buckets to each quarter of the railway colony and has requested the residents to keep the biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes separately.

“They (residents) have been urged to put the biodegradable wastes in the green bucket and the non-biodegradable wastes in the red bucket. Every morning, a carrier will blow a whistle and collect the waste for proper disposal,” the statement said.

“The biodegradable waste will be used as organic manure while the non-bio degradable waste can be sent for processing. This will help us make our colony clean and green,” a railway official said.

“It has been launched at the central Gotanagar colony as a pilot project and will be extended to other colonies gradually,” the official said.

The project has been launched in view of the rampant throwing of plastic bags and garbage by people living in the railway quarters.

Clogged drains result in waterlogging in the railway colonies. “We will continue the awareness drive and encourage our staff and those living in the quarters to say no to harmful polythene gradually and make our campus clean and green,” the official said.