Noida: India’s largest ‘charkha’ (spinning wheel) made of used plastic waste was inaugurated in Noida on the eve of Mahatma Gandhi‘s 150th birth anniversary, officials said. The 1,650 kg (kilogram) spinning wheel was inaugurated by Union Minister Smriti Irani, Gautam Buddh Nagar MP Mahesh Sharma, Noida MLA Pankaj Singh and Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari.
The spinning wheel has been installed in Sector 94 near the Mahamaya flyover. The ‘charkha’, which symbolises Gandhi’s dream of Swadeshi (self-sufficing and self-reliance), measures 14 feet × 20 feet × 8 feet and is made of 1,250 kg of used plastic, according to officials. Lauding Noida Authority for its efforts, Ms. Irani said,
The gigantic spinning wheel is not only representative of construction and beautification but also represents our commitment towards the plastic-free campaign.
The charkha has been recognised as the largest made of used plastic waste in the country by India Book of Records, Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari said. Ms. Irani, the Women and Child Development minister, also inaugurated a ‘Pink Toilet’ in Sector 39 and flagged off 15 garbage collection vehicles.
Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari added,
With 15 more vehicles launched today, there will be a total 140 vehicles going door-to-door for waste collection in Noida. In the coming week, 35 more such vehicles will be added to the fleet, ensuring 100 per cent coverage of Noida under the door-to-door garbage collection initiative.
Noida Authority General Manager Rajeev Tyagi said the authority is focussing on raising awareness among the people for proper disposal of waste and recycling of plastic wherever possible. He said, “The effort would be scaled up in coming days and solid waste management improved.”
NDTV – Dettol Banega Swachh India campaign lends support to the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). Helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, the campaign aims to spread awareness about hygiene and sanitation, the importance of building toilets and making India open defecation free (ODF) by October 2019, a target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he launched Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014. Over the years, the campaign has widened its scope to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and menstrual hygiene. The campaign has also focused extensively on marine pollution, clean Ganga Project and rejuvenation of Yamuna, two of India’s major river bodies.
