KIIT University students enacted a street play on No Plastic Day in Bhubaneswar on Sunday. . Telegraph pictures

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 27: A group of youngsters beat drums and shouted slogans against the use of plastic bags at Market Building here on Sunday.

“Chaaro taraf yeh nara hai… reuse, recycle. Paper humko pyara hai… reuse, recycle. Cloth bags, jute bags ka hardam hi sahara ho… reuse, recycle,” the young activists of KIIT University chorused in sync as they enacted a street play.

The campaigners, part of the university’s Kash theatre team, were observing No Plastic Day, organised by creative group Diabetes Entertainment, in collaboration with Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation.

The play depicts the idyllic state of nature that is upset by the advent of plastic. The toxic material pollutes the atmosphere, resulting in the death of livestock, destruction of aquatic life and even leads to suicide among farmers, who struggle to grow crops with the soil turning infertile.

“We portrayed plastic as a demon in this play. We tried in vain to kill it because the material cannot be destroyed. So, we have to act responsibly and cut down on its use. It is estimated that if we continue to use plastic at the current rate, by 2030, we would need a dumping yard as big as the state of Uttar Pradesh,” said Farakh Abbas, a student of KIIT University, who played the role of a plastic bag.

Bhubaneswar mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said the use of plastic and polythene bags in the capital had come down by 30 to 40 per cent. “An enforcement squad of the corporation conducts raids at different markets every week. In the first stage, we issue warnings, but if they continue to violate the rules, we take action such as seizing the plastic bags and even closing down shops,” he said.

The youngsters also demonstrated how to make biodegradable bags out of paper, jute and cloth. “Our motto is ‘Do something drastic, cut the plastic’. We would be continuing this campaign till we are successful in completely banning plastic in Bhubaneswar,” said Dayanidhi Dahima of Diabetes Entertainment.

Odia filmstar Akash Das Nayak and Bhubaneswar MP Prasanna Patasani were present at the shopping hub to support the cause. Rotary Club of Bhubaneswar and Awareness Programme for Eco-friendly Commodities — a network of college students — were also partners for the event.