Following the declaration by chief minister Neiphiu Rio last month that Nagaland would be made Plastic Free by December 2018, it was implemented for the first time in the 19th edition of the state’s biggest festival the Hornbill Festival at Naga Heritage Village Kisama, Kohima the Night Carnival and other places.
However, it seemed to be a big challenge for many, especially stall owners of the festival, because alternatives to plastics were not readily available or cost too much to use on a commercial scale. Showing concern for the environment’s safety and conscious of public health, the government of Nagaland had decided to make the Hornbill Festival areas plastic free zones.
When this correspondent interacted with some of the stall owners to discuss implementation of the plastic free zone, one Achunu, who ran a food stall, said the stall owners were trying their best with limited bamboo spoons and coconut plates to meet the needs of the large numbers of people visiting their stall. However, she said these organic and bio-degradable utensils were not easy to acquire and they cost higher as compared to plastic.
Alo Sara, in charge of the Chakesang Morung said they got most of the plates, cups and spoons made from their village and few were got from the Tourism department, but due to time constraints, they were not able to get enough of them. Sara commented that meeting the needs of customers was very difficult because sometimes they are overwhelmed with customers and some of them tend to leave with the local cutlery and plates further limiting their quantity.
He added that these handmade kitchen accessories take time to make and have to be ordered well in advance. Between the time vendors learn if they have been allotted a stall and when the festival begins, it is difficult to get enough of these made, Sara said.
Amen, who ran a food stall pointed out the scarcity of water, due to which meeting the demands of more than a hundred customers was a challenge. She added that it was very difficult to even get drinking water, let alone water for washing dishes. She reiterated the point of locally made plates and cups being not easily available or cheap. According to Amen, for stall owners, it was much easier to use plastic cups and plates.
While the concept of a Plastic Free Hornbill Festival seems like a progressive and good idea, the main hurdle seems to be non-availability of alternatives in sufficiency.
This also appears to be a gap in the market that enterprising entrepreneurs could fill if the government were to encourage it.