SCB Medical College and Hospital has launched a signage to use in its awareness drives banning the use of polythene.

Hospital superintendent P.K. Debata said signage for prohibition of use of polythene have been put up at various places on the campus for public awareness. He said the signage have been so far put up in front of the office of the hospital superintendent and at several other places.

“The campaign was launched on Friday with inauguration of the signage at the office of the superintendent thousands of visitors throng the office everyday and all stake-holders of the hospital also visit it”, Debata said.

The move assumes significance as the hospital had been identified as a major place of rampant littering of poly-bags in the city.

Other places where the signage has been installed are the Niramaya medicine store, the outdoor wing, the gynaecology and obstetrics department and the surgery department.

“We will also put up the signage in the indoor wards,” he added. Debata further said that sensitisation activities have already been taken up for indoor patients and their attendants with the help of security staff and sisters in charge.

Recently, SCB superint-endent had sought the help of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation by way of enforcement to make the campus a polythene-free zone.

Civic officials said special squads formed for enforcement of ban on use of plastic have been paying special attention to the hospital during daily inspection to ensure all the eateries, shops and street vendors in and around the campus stop using polybags.

Lawyer and anti-polythene activist Pravat Ranjan Dash said: “Distribution of cotton bags should be continued in a periodic manner under the awareness programme.”

SCB is the largest hospital in the state with a campus sprawling over 87 acres. It has the largest turn out of patients in the state with 30 departments.