Anantnag eco-warrior’s initiative turns into ashes

Annatnag, Dec 2: On November 22, Manzoor Ahmad Dar was sitting under the morning sun, enjoying its genial warmth in his sleepy Turka-Tachloo village, 7 km from south Kashmir's Anantnag town when one of his workers over the phone informed him in a shaky voice about the fire enveloping his plastic recycling unit.

Dar made a dash for his factory located in Vessu area, some 12 km from his native village.

The moment Dar showed up, a fire truck had already reached there with fire men struggling hard to douse the flames.

The fire devoured the plastic scrap – thousands of empty bottles, wrappers, and polythene carrybags —in a jiffy and reduced everything to ashes.

According to Dar, tonnes of stock were already prepared at the time of the incident.

"It all went up in smoke,” said Dar.

He got fidgety as he pegged the loss at Rs 95 lakh.

The rampant use of plastic – from water bottles to carry bags - would deeply trouble Dar as he always wanted to launch an initiative that would help in doing away with the pervasive problem.

Finally in 2019, Dar set up a plastic recycling unit and collected plastic scrap from door-to-door within the communities.

The unit not only helped in plastic reduction but also created employment opportunities for many in the district and its adjoining areas.

Dozens of people directly or indirectly relied on his recycling unit for their livelihood.

“Over 25 employees were working in the unit on a full time basis,” Dar said.

He said that there were many people who would collect the plastic waste within the communities and bring it to the factory.

"They would not only earn their livelihood but also contribute in doing away with the plastic from the society,” Dar said.

He was recently conferred with the ‘Eco-warrior Award’ by the district administration.

However, last month’s unfortunate incident not only turned Dar's venture into ashes but also put paid to the livelihood of dozens.

After the unit went up in smoke, Dar had to lay off at least 25 employees.

He also stopped the scrap collection process.

Dar finds himself in a bind as his request for some financial assistance to the government went unheeded.

"I really don't understand what to do. It is not only about a plant, it is about the livelihood of dozens of employees," he said.

Dar had also applied for the allocation of land in the industrials estate located at Check Pora, Bamdoora, in neighbouring Kulgam district, but it has not yet been allocated.

“The allocation of land will alleviate some of the problems and enable me to restart," Dar said.

He said that there seemed no other hope.

“It is the bare minimum that I expect from the government," Dar said.