A group of environmentalists of Jharia, one of the most polluted towns of the country, on Friday carried out an awareness drive on the ill-effects of plastic use by distributing cloth tricolour flags in the run-up to Independence Day.

The drive was carried out under the leadership of Akhlaque Ahmad, founder of Youth Concept, a Jharia based social organisation. It began at around 11.30am at Gulgulia Basti, a slum situated near Katras locality, inhabited by street dwellers and daily wage earners and later in the afternoon to Durgapur Kusth Colony, a slum of leprosy affected persons, near the Jharia Railway station.

The activists encouraged residents of these localities to avoid the use of plastic made tricolour flags and also handed over saplings of fruit bearing plants including mango and guava.

Talking to Telegraph Online on Friday, Ahmad, who is also a special educator and speech therapist said,“We felt quite peeved over the scene of children waving plastic made tricolour flags on or before Independence Day since the last couple of years and thus decided to spread awareness on the use of cloth made tricolour by distributing them.”

“I have purchased around 60 meters of cotton cloth from the wholesale market of Kendua yesterday for the drive and the tricolours were made at my home by the women of the family including by sister’s daughter, Sanya Parveen (18), a plus two student of RSP College of Jharia and others,” said Ahmad and added as Jharia is worst affected due to coal dust pollution the awareness drive was quite pertinent.

Raman Gulgulia, a resident of Gulgulia Patti locality, who ekes out his living by carrying out sharpening of kitchenware, knife, scissors etc said, “We rarely get the opportunity to participate in the independence day functions as we keep on wandering from one place to other on all 365 days for livelihood but since the awareness programme was held this morning we were present and promised to Akhalque Sir and his team members that we will never use the plastic made tricolour and instead use the cloth made tricolour.”

Raju Gugulia, another daily wage earner of Gulgulia Patti said,“My son who is class V student in nearby private school, Indian School of Learning, also advised me and his friends in the locality two years ago as told by his school teachers not to use the plastic made tricolour and when the group of visitors also provided us the cloth made tricolour and convinced us to use cloth made tricolour I felt quite happy that my son’s education is in right track.”