Agartala: Roads will soon be built with recycled plastic waste in the Tripura capital.

A statement issued by the chief minister's office on Thursday said chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb has asked Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) to construct "at least half-a-kilometre road" with recycled plastic waste after initiating a massive door-to-door drive to collect plastic waste.

Deb initiated the plan on Thursday after reviewing a host of activities conducted by the AMC. He said the initiative would help reduce environmental pollution by preventing waterbodies and drains from being blocked by plastic.

Such an initiative was started in West Khasi Hills in Meghalaya during the erstwhile Mukul Sangma-led Congress government. It was completed in April this year.

Deb also instructed municipal officials to ensure that Agartala was made open defecation-free (ODF) by August 15 this year by using funds provided under the Swachh Bharat Mission (urban). He directed the civic body to start garbage collection in every area of the AMC. If necessary, he added, the work should be outsourced to an expert agency.

"Agartala should be kept neat and clean. The conservancy staff should be strictly monitored. Action should be taken against workers who do not perform their duties properly," he said.

Deb laid stress on periodic cleaning of municipal drains to prevent stagnation of water during showers. Agartala gets flooded even after minimal rainfall. The BJP government in the state had sanctioned Rs 7 crore to the AMC for cleaning drains after coming to power in March this year.

Deb asked officials to promote use of biodegradable and environment-friendly paper bags, cloth bags and jute bags instead of plastic packets.

The erstwhile Left Front government had banned the use of plastic bags in the state last year.