Shun use of plastic flags, Mayor tells Mumbaikars

 Mayor Sunil Prabhu today urged Mumbaikars to shun the use of plastic flags this Independence day and instead opt for those made of paper or cloth. "When people use flags made from plastic, they need to remember that plastic cannot be destroyed. Hence, many a time these flags are found lying on the roads and in bad conditions. This is an insult to our country. I, therefore, appeal to the citizens to shun flags made of plastic and only use flags made from paper or cloth," he said in a statement.

"Whenever there is an occasion like Independence Day or Republic day, flags made of plastic are sold to children who do not understand the importance of the flag. Therefore, they do not give it the kind of importance it deserves," he said. Environmentalists have welcomed the stand taken by the civic administration on the use of plastic flags and said its high time people got back to using paper bags not only in Mumbai but throughout the country.

"Paper and cloth flags can be recycled but plastic flags cannot. Plastic flags will never get decomposed. Most of them will be strewn around which is an insult to the tricolour. There is a procedure by which the flag is disposed. You can't just chuck it in the garbage bin," said Debi Goenka of city-based NGO Conservation Action Trust.
"The Government needs to ensure that plastic flags are banned across the country to preserve the environment and to maintain the honour of our national flag," he added.