By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 21 Oct: In a ceremony as part of the ongoing Army Commanders Conference, General Manoj Pande, Chief of Army Staff presented the Green Station Award to Brigadier Anirban Datta, Station Commander and President Cantonment Board Dehradun.
Dehradun station, has been fighting plastic with passion. This award marks the recognition of a year long effort towards conservation and solid waste management.
Dehradun Cantonment has been transformed in the last two years.
The story of this transformation, is the story of ideas and initiatives. It is the story of single minded focus and synergy between the military station and the Cantonment Board.
Enforcing the ban on single use plastic and polythene early last year, Dehradun Cantonment came up with the unique concept of ‘ _Thaila Ghars_ ‘ in market places, where shoppers can pick up cloth bags made from discarded clothes at nominal prices.
The *Plastic Kachra Bank*, is yet another novel initiative undertaken by the Cantonment Board, where residents and rag pickers can deposit discarded wrappers and any other form of waste. Optimally utilising abandoned vehicle entry check posts, the Cantonment Board has renovated dilapidated structures, equiping them with weighing scales where depositors weigh their ‘waste’ deposits.
Cantonment Board Dehradun has signed an MoU with SHYNA ECO UNIFIED which will buy these discarded wrappers at Rs 3/- per kg. Payment is made instantly through a digital payment gateway, thus encouraging every citizen to adopt UPI based mobile payment platforms.
Armed with a fleet of two Super JATAYUs, battery operated compartmentalised garbage collection vehicles, jet spray machines and the Gobbler, the Cantonment Board and the Station have invested in the latest technology in waste collection.
Swachta Chaupal, conducted by the Cantonment Board in February this year was the first ever conclave, which brought companies and start ups working in the field of solid waste management on a common platform with the unorganised sector. 51 companies displayed cutting edge technology and young entrepreneurs participated in the technology challenge. Amongst acclaimed participants were *NEPRA* which changed the face of Indore, *ATTERO*an e waste start up mentioned by the PM in Mann ki Baat, *RECYKAL* which fixed QR codes on plastic bottles on the Kedarnath route.
The Cantonment boasts of 28 beautiful parks, five beautiful regimental shopping complexes which generate zero waste, numerous community kitchen gardens nurtured through rain water harvesting projects and 12.6 kms of beautiful pathways.
Polythene collected in the Cantonment, is cleaned, dried and stuffed into discarded plastic bottles to create eco bricks. Eco bricks made out of PET bottles, have become a low cost alternative to conventional construction material and an interesting way to recycle and reduce waste. Beautiful butterflies and benches made of eco bricks dot the Cantonment parks.
Dehradun Cantonment won the national award for “Innovation and Best Practices” during the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav Swachhta Survekshan 2020-21.
On 14 Aug 2023, the Cantonment Board received an award from the former President for conceptualising and creating an *Ambedkar Park* in the Cantonment.
Set against the backdrop of tall _cheedh_ trees astride the road from Hathibarkala to the Rajbhawan, the Shaurya Sthal, revitalised and beautified by the Cantonment Board is a breath takingly beautiful tribute to the sacrifices of the armed forces personnel and has become a defining memorial park in Dehradun. The memorial was inaugarated by Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh, on 14 Jan 2023.
In October 2022, Landour, which forms part of Dehradun Station, was awarded for Citizen Participation in recycling and waste management in the Swachta Sarvekshan 2021-22 and also received the Atal Nirmal Nagar Puruskar 2022 from the Chief Minister Uttarakhand, for being amongst the best urban local bodies in the state.
The Cantonment uses Bio toilets made out of waste plastic sheets equipped with bio digestors which convert waste into water by bacterial action. Sheets used to create these toilets are waterproof, corrosion free, anti-microbial and free from hazardous compounds and can again be re cycled at the end of their life.
The 2 Mega Watt Solar Plant commissioned last year in Dehradun Stn has 7200 photo voltaic plates and has resulted in reduction of yearly electric tariff by 1.94 crores. In addition, through a combination of stand alone, solar trees, solar street lights and LEDisation the station has ensured a further saving of 8,12,400 units of electricity and a reduction of Rs 45, 49,440/- in dues to the UPCL.
The Station has created 27 modern toilets in the ECHS, to cater to the comforts of its large veteran population. Dedicated to the Veteran Community, this restroom complex follows green building norms, utilises natural lighting and ventilation to provide an odour free environment. Designed for the specially abled, it facilitates use of modern toilet cleaning implements and conservation of water.
Park Benches placed in Jaswant Grnd, made out of waste plastics – (high density composite polymers) are extremely durable, sustainable, eco friendly and help in completing the loop for a circular economy, where waste is used as raw material.
Another unique initiative, is the creation of an overhead cover with plast ply sheets made of food packaging mtrl, tetra pack and food packaging films (FPEF) (such as aluminum foil) & candy polythene wrappers (CPEW), which are used in different ratios and put through a process to make them water proof and fire retardant. Till date, the station in the last one year has collected 350 kgs of polyethylene and 375 kgs of polypropylene (LD plastic) which has been sent to a processing plant in NOIDA, where it is processed into sheets used in benches, toilets and overhead water proof sheets.
A walking track has been created out
of interlocking tiles created out of PET bottles & waste plastic. These tiles are anti skid, water proof and four times more durable than paver blocks. They are also easier on the joints due to the cushioning and spring effect they provide.
Dehradun Cantonment‘s initiatives are a salute to the spirit of conservation, recycling and waste management and initiatives often combine the mandate of the ‘Swach Bharat Abhiyan’ with the ‘Fit India Movement’ through marathons and sporting activities.
