Hindustan Times (Bathinda)

Bring 20 empty plastic bottles and get free meal

- Bhaskar Mukherjee bhaskar.mukherjee@htlive.com ■ ■

HISAR MC HAS TIED UP WITH 2 DHABAS IN THE CITY TO SAVE THE ENVIRONMEN­T WHILE ALSO ENSURING THAT NO ONE GOES TO BED HUNGRY

HISAR: With just 20 empty plastic bottles, you can now get a free meal at two dhabas in Hisar.

In a unique initiative, the Hisar municipal corporatio­n has tied up with two dhabas in the city— Janata Bhojnalaya and Hounda Ram dhaba—to save the environmen­t while also ensuring that no one goes to bed hungry.

Superinten­dent engineer Ramji Lal says the idea came to them when they found out that ragpickers, who usually collect empty bottles to sell, have stopped doing so as they no longer find buyers.

“As a ban has been imposed on polythene, junk dealers stopped accepting plastic bottles as well which led to plastic bottles piling up at several places in the city,” he said.

“We then approached some dhabas, who readily agreed to provide a meal comprising daal, chapati and salad for anyone who comes to them with 20 plastic bottles,” the SE said.

The dhabas hand over these plastic bottles to the municipal corporatio­n, which uses it to grow plants.

Hisar mayor Gautam Sardana said, “We use these bottles to grow plants. We also collect empty coconut shells etc.”

The mayor also lauded the dhabas for their efforts. “The dhaba owners are doing a very noble deed by feeding the poor people.”

The dhaba owners meanwhile say they are happy to be able to play a role in environmen­t conservati­on and helping the needy.

“We usually have around 20 people visiting us with plastic bottles. It’s really not a big deal for any dhaba owner to give free meals to around 20 to 30 persons,” says Radhey Shyam, owner of Hounda Ram dhaba. He added that for 10 empty bottles, one can get a free cloth bag while for 20 empty bottles, one can enjoy a free meal at the dhaba. Vinod Kumar, the owner of Janata Bhojnalaya, says, “We are glad that we are feeding poor people who help keep our city neat and clean.”

 ?? HT PHOTO ?? The dhaba owner, after collecting the bottles, hands it over to the MC, which uses it for planting saplings.
HT PHOTO The dhaba owner, after collecting the bottles, hands it over to the MC, which uses it for planting saplings.

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