CHENNAI: Kickstarting the second phase of the 'Meendum Manjapai' campaign, mayor R Priya inaugurated an automated vending machine to dispense cloth bags at ward 106 of Anna Nagar zone (zone 8), near the MMDA post office.
The GCC has located 16 spots in the city to bring more vending machines. In phase 1 of the campaign, 25 vending machines were installed across the city.
In her address at the event, the mayor said, "The GCC and the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Forests have been relentlessly spreading awareness against plastic use. These automated vending machines are being installed at marketplaces as plastic use is high there." She encouraged the public and vendors to use the vending machine and avoid plastics.
The civic body has distributed 50,000 cloth bags in the current financial year and collected Rs 1.10 crore as fines from vendors using plastic bags.