Chicken centre at Siddipet offers discount for customers avoiding use of plastic bags

Unmindful of the dent it makes in his profit margin, he is offering a Rs 30 discount on every kg of chicken to customers who bring their containers and shun plastic bags

Siddipet: A chicken trader in Bharat Nagar here has set an example for others to follow in the area of environmental protection. Unmindful of the dent it makes in his profit margin, he is offering a Rs 30 discount on every kg of chicken to customers who bring their containers and shun plastic bags.

Inspired by the efforts of Finance Minister T Harish Rao and civic authorities who are making all efforts to restrict the use of plastic in day-to-day life in Siddipet town, Gajabinkar Srinivas decided to do his bit and came up with this unique idea. With the civic authorities conducting a frequent inspection of meat and chicken shops and imposing fines for using plastic bags, many were finding it difficult to pay the fines, but not many customers were willing to bring their containers to carry the meat, Srinivas told Telangana Today.

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Stating that he owned three meat shops in various parts of the town, Srinivas said he wanted to send a strong message to the people on the need to carry a container or steel box for the meat or chicken. “Since my words on the need to shun plastics did not have the desired effect, I hit upon this idea to offer discount though it hits my profit margin considerably,” Srinivas, who is also the general secretary of Meat Shop Owners Association in Siddipet, said. “I am doing it for the good of society,” he added.

He said his shops alone used 10,000 plastic bags per month costing Rs 5,000 besides causing a lot of harm to the environment. “I intend to continue with the discount till I ensure that all my customers bring containers,” he said.

Seeing the lineup of customers at Srinivas’ shop, another chicken centre owner Sudhakar has begun offering a Rs 10 discount on every kg of chicken for the same deal.

Since over 80 per cent of people consume meat or chicken on Sundays, Srinivas says the sales at the meat centres in Siddipet are around four tonnes of meat and 10 tonnes of chicken. “Imagine the quantity of plastic used for such huge quantities,” he points out. Horticulture Officer Siddipet Samala Ilaiah appreciated Srinivas for his bold initiative in sensitising the people.

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