Mangaluru: D.V Sadananda Gowda, the current union minister for Chemical and Fertilisers said that the promotion of environment conservation was the main idea behind setting up of the Plastic Park in Mangaluru and also raising awareness on cleanliness is next to Godliness as highlighted by Prime Minister Modi’s pet project – Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
Speaking to News Karnataka, Gowda said that the park will be able to solve the issues of single-use plastic and other big issues related to plastic products. He added that plastic waste will be collected from across the state once the project kicks-off. “Not just recycling of waste, this plant will take care of various plastic-related technologies,” said Gowda.
In 2017, the then union minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers, Anand Kumar had assured of providing “in-principle” approval for a plastic park in Mangaluru, following which Gowda announced that the centre has given the green signal for setting up the Plastic Park at Ganjimutt here in the parliament on March 9, 2021. The approval was given based on the preliminary proposals outlining the location, estimated cost and feasibility. Over 104 acres of land have been earmarked and there are provisions for acquiring an additional 50 acres of land.
Elaborating what led the government to take decision to establish the park here, Gowda said that it has been made based on the various parametric guidelines received from the expert committee. “Each parameter like availability of land, airport, seaport facilities and other factors have been taken into consideration while taking this decision,” he said. He said that MRPL (Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited) will be able to provide the necessary raw materials and chemicals for this plant.
Further, he added that the park will be able to solve the issues of single use plastics and other big issues related to plastic products. “Plastic waste will be collected from all over the state once the project starts. Not just recycling of waste, this plant will take care of various technologies that are related to plastic,” Gowda informed.
Speaking on the benefit of Plastic Park for the industry, Issac Vaz, President of the Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) said, “This will decrease the load on unproductive investments on small industries as there will now be a common centre for plastic recycling, testing and storage. Further, many of the medical and other packaging products which have been exported from other parts of the country can be manufactured here, benefitting whole of the state, he stressed. He added that, moreover the government has also promised to setup a Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology, once the park has been established.
President of the Canara Plastic Manufacturers’ and Traders’ Association, B.A. Nazeer said that the idea was first proposed in 2015 by the association to the state government. “The plan of action was set into motion in 2015 itself and the state government had ensured the production of such a plant,” he added.
