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Moa Sangtam, second from left, at the inauguration of a paper bag manufacturing unit called the Monalisa Business Solutions, on Monday at Signal Angami village in Dimapur.[/caption]
Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, June 24: A paper bag manufacturing unit called the Monalisa Business Solutions (MBS) was inaugurated, on Monday at Signal Angami Village in Dimapur.
The proprietor of the center, Imliben Lemtur, said in her address at the inauguration that the idea behind setting up the manufacturing unit was envisioned after attending seminars about plastic and environment.
Lemtur said to have been wondering about the alternatives to plastic: ‘As we are all engrossed by the use of plastics we consider that our life will not function smoothly without plastics,’ while forgetting the impact of the material on the planet.
The administrator of Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) Moa Sangtam also spoke at the event. He lauded the move to introduce paper bags as he noted that someone was bringing an alternative to plastic in Dimapur.
Sangtam recounted that the Nagaland government had passed an order the previous year to make Nagaland plastic free but most of the stakeholders are still discussing what the alternative to plastic will be.
‘In Dimapur, the DMC with the CAN Youth and the women folk started training programmes on making paper bags. However, Dimapur being a big market with many neighbouring states arriving for marketing it is not easy for small groups to reach out to the whole market and the paper bags are not enough to gather to the market,’ the DMC administrator said.
Sangtam said the MBS was a welcomed move in the district. Although the problem concerning business in the state was marketing and sustainability, he assured of the DMC's cooperation in terms of marketing and with the unit.
Also, an activist against plastic pollution LH Thangi Mannen exhorted that solution was not something which will just occur but it lies with the youths to come up with a solution for every concern.
Further, she called for environmental lawyers in the state. There is not a single environmental lawyer in the state, she said. Further, Mannen urged individuals to contribute towards discouraging the use of plastic.
"Our commitment to environment does not end with organising environment related programs or support with presence but in practise and commitment," she said.