Banned Plastics still in Use at Rail Canteens

Though the ban on plastics in the State is largely successful, some segments continue to record flagrant violations. Canteens operated in railway stations are yet to implement the ban fully, with many of the banned items being used for packing and serving food items.The Chennai Corporation has been inspecting and seizing vast quantities of plastic materials from traders, hotels and hawkers. However, in canteens and food plazas run by contractors in several railway stations, paper cups, with a plastic coating, are still being used to serve coffee and tea. Violations galoreA visit to a few important railway stations like Chennai Central, Egmore and Beach showed that while big food plazas have removed paper cups and replaced them with stainless steel tumbers for serving tea, coffee and milk, smaller canteens persist with plastic-lined paper cups bearing the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) logo.As for packing food items, even the big restaurants at these railway stations are using plastics.R. Kishorekumar, a commuter at the Beach railway station, said it would be nice if the railway administration took steps to ban water bottles sold at some of the shops.Many shopkeepers at Chennai Central and Egmore railway stations said the railway officials had instructed them to stop supplying sambar and chutney in plastic pouches. In some railway canteens, the staff are unable to replace the plastic spoons with wooden ones as they are costly. "We give the wooden spoons to those who ask specifically," said a server at Chennai Central.Official confidentChennai Divisional Railway Manager Naveen Gulati said strict instructions had been issued to canteen contractors to avoid using plastic plates and other banned items. The canteens have already started serving food items to customers using plates made of arecanut leaves and sugarcane bagasse and in some cases banana leaves, he said. Regarding the use of paper cups, steps would be taken to replace them if they are banned, he said. A senior official said long-distance trains originating in Chennai had started avoiding plastic containers. He said there were a few problems in finding alternative containers but was confident that the issue would be resolved soon.