chandigarh

Updated: Nov 20, 2019 22:29 IST

With just 20 empty plastic bottles, you can now get a free meal at two dhabas in Hisar.

In a unique initiative, the Hisar municipal corporation has tied up with two dhabas in the city— Janata Bhojnalaya and Hounda Ram dhaba—to save the environment while also ensuring that no one goes hungry to bed.

Superintendent engineer Ramji Lal says the idea came to them when they found out that ragpickers, who usually collect empty bottles to sell, have stopped doing so as they no longer find buyers. “As a ban has been imposed on polythene, junk dealers stopped accepting plastic bottles as well which led to plastic bottles piling up at several places in the city,” he said.

“We then approached some dhabas, who readily agreed to provide a meal comprising daal, chapati and salad for anyone who comes to them with 20 plastic bottles,” the SE said.

The dhabas hand over these plastic bottles to the municipal corporation, which uses it to grow plants and make polythene compost. Hisar mayor Gautam Sardana said, “We use these bottles to grow plants and make compost. We also collect empty coconut shells etc.”

The mayor also lauded the dhabas for their efforts. “The dhaba owners are doing a very noble thing by feeding the poor people.”

The dhaba owners meanwhile say they are happy to be able to play a role in environment conservation and helping the needy.

“We usually have around 20 people visiting us with plastic. It’s really not a big deal for any dhaba owner to give free meals to 20 to 30 persons,” says Radhey Shyam, owner of Hounda Ram dhaba. He added that for 10 empty bottle, people can get a free cloth bag while for 20 empty bottles, one can enjoy a free meal at the dhaba.

Vinod Kumar, the owner of Janata Bhojnalaya, says, “We are glad that we are feeding poor people who help keep our city neat and clean.”