Going green: Stall owners at Bandra fair to shun plastic this year | Mumbai news - Hindustan Times
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Going green: Stall owners at Bandra fair to shun plastic this year

Hindustan Times | By, Mumbai
Sep 09, 2018 02:51 AM IST

Additionally, miniature thermocol models of houses, which are traditionally offered by devotees, have been banned and the stall allottees have been asked to switch to cardboard.

Adhering to the plastic ban imposed by the Maharashtra government, the authorities at Bandra’s Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount (popularly known as Mount Mary) have issued instructions to the stall owners to not use plastic bags.

The annual Bandra fair will begin on Sunday and end on September 16. (Satyabrata Tripathy/HT Photo)
The annual Bandra fair will begin on Sunday and end on September 16. (Satyabrata Tripathy/HT Photo)

“There was a special meeting held with the stall allottees, which was held for the first time ever, where they were instructed to adhere to fire guidelines and not use plastic bags,” said Bishop John Rodrigues, rector of Mount Mary Basilica.

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Additionally, miniature thermocol models of houses, which are traditionally offered by devotees, have been banned and the stall allottees have been asked to switch to cardboard.

“We have also suggested that there should be no plastic wrapping to flowers offered at the dais,” said Rodrigues.

The annual Bandra fair, which begins a day after the birthday celebrations of Mother Mary, begins on Sunday and will end on September 16. More than 500 stalls are expected to be put up at the steps of the Basilica and around it. The fair sees thousands of visitors daily and last year, volunteers reported 50,000 visitors on just the first day of the week-long celebrations.

On March 23, the state government issued a notification imposing a ban on the purchase, sale, distribution and storage of single-use disposable plastic. Following this, a two-month period was given to citizens to dispose banned plastic items, after which authorities started taking punitive action against those flouting the ban after June 23.

To mark the birthday celebrations of Mother Mary, a special mass was held at the shrine of Velankanni in Irla on September 8, which also marked the conclusion of golden jubilee celebration of the church. The mass was conducted by Cesare Bonivento of Papua New Guinea.

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