COIMBATORE: Over 20 kg of discarded plastics were collected by the forest department along the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) track on Monday.
The cleanliness drive was organised after plastic wrappers were found in the dung of elephants. As the train chugs through the hill tracks located adjacent to forest areas and sprawling tea gardens, the tourists throw out these plastic wrappers and litter the tracks. Elephants frequenting the tracks invariably end up consuming the plastic items along with fodder. Environmentalists and the forest department staff, who were involved in a perambulation, were shocked to find plastic in the dung of elephants in the locality.
“As elephants consume fodder in larger volume, plastics in smaller quantities don’t cause any immediate harm, but may lead to complications, if ingested for a prolonged period. Therefore, a cleanliness drive was organised along the track from Coonoor to Mettupalayam,” said an official. A team led by Coonoor forest ranger Ravindranath, who was involved in collecting discarded plastics from Coonoor to Runnymede said that 21 kg of plastic items were removed along this stretch.
“The cleanliness drive will continue from Ooty to Hill Grove and further in the coming days. Tourists taking up the train journey will also be asked to desist from throwing plastic along the track,” the official added.
Even though officials are cracking down on the sale of plastics and sensitizing the tourists visiting the hills, plastic continues to be in vogue in the district.