A bank of plates to be set up for Simhastha fair
To keep the Simhastha fair area clean and environment-friendly, a group of traders has come together to end the use of disposable utensils during the month-long event.
To keep the Simhastha fair area clean and environment-friendly, a group of traders has come together to end the use of disposable utensils during the month-long event.
Simhastha fair will be held between April 22 and May 21, 2016. It is a Hindu religious mela held every 12 years in Ujjain and is one of the four fairs traditionally recognised as Kumbha Mela.
The traders have started building a bank of steel plates and glasses which they will lend free of cost to the people who participate in the fair. They have decided to collect and buy about two lakh plates and glasses in the next few weeks.
“This idea was conceived by Govind Khandelwal-- a local trader of Ujjain -- and after a meeting, we decided to work on it. We would collect some plates and the rest will be bought,” said Sanjeev Jain, an office bearer of Vaishya Mahasabha.
Simhastha Fair Authority (SFA) chairman Divakar Natu welcomed the initiative of Vaishya community and said plastic disposables were already banned in Simhastha and steel utensils would help reduce use of paper plates.
He said after the fair, volunteers will collect the plates back and a bank of utensils will be established. “Anyone can use our plates for any public function in Ujjain, Indore and nearby regions. We will provide the plates free of cost,” Jain added.
“We are visiting various peeths, sadhus and other organisations who will camp in Ujjain and taking an estimate about the number of people who will eat daily during the fair. For example, if a sadhu is organising a bhandara for 5,000 people daily, we will provide 500 plates and glasses,” he added.
It is estimated that over 10 lakh people would be in the city every day during the fair.