Ban on plastic keeps plantain leaves traders busy during Chitra Pournami

Tiruvannamalai traders meet high demand for banana leaves during eco-friendly Chitra Pournami festival, reducing plastic waste.

Plantain leaves traders in Tiruvannamalai town are busy these days as the demand for fresh leaves has surged after the district administration made it mandatory for organisers of annadanam (food donation) to use banana leaves during Chitra Pournami festival on Tuesday.

The eco-friendly initiative is to prevent the usage of plastic and paper-made items, including plates and cups, for annadanam during the festival (April 23-24). It is also aimed at preventing garbage accumulation in the town, as around 25 lakh visitors are expected to visit the town for the festival. “Around 600 conservancy workers of the municipality were roped in to keep the city clean during the festival. Such organic waste [banana leaves] can be easily recycled with less harm to the environment,” said N. Daksnamoorthy, Commissioner, Tiruvannamalai municipality.

Along with five village panchayats, Tiruvannamalai municipality will handle garbage collection along the 14-km girivalam path and in the town during the festival. It has roped in 1,200 conservancy workers from DRDA and has placed dustbins at 370 spots for the purpose.

As per the order issued by the Collector, D. Bhaskara Pandian, 105 spots, including 23 public places, have been earmarked for annadanam. More than 160 organisations and individuals got the nod for free distribution of food during the festival. Organisers are responsible for safe food distribution, collection, and disposal of waste and cleanliness of the premises. The district food safety officer has formed 12 special squads to monitor annadanam. “We have procured a large quantity of banana leaves due to high demand during the festival. However, the cost of banana leaves was slightly higher during the festival,” said K. Vasudevan, a banana trader.   

Every day, Tiruvannamalai gets banana leaves from Thanjavur, Tiruchi, Tindivanam, Tirukoilur (Kallakurichi district) which have better quality in terms of size and freshness. Traders also procure leaves locally from Chengam, Cheyyar, Arani, Thanipadi and Padavedu (Jawadhu Hills). Around 150 traders depend on this trade for generations in the town. On an average, 1.5 lakh leaves are sold mainly to hotels every day. Usually, sale of banana leaves triples during festival seasons.