At This Eco-friendly Polling Booth In Tamil Nadu, Plastic Bottles Banned And Separate Bins Kept For Waste

Polling in all Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu concluded in the first phase of the 2024 General Elections on April 19. When voting was underway across the state, IAS officer Supriya Sahu shared some glimpses of an eco-friendly polling booth. She shared a video on X (formerly Twitter) where locals were seen visiting the unique booth in Tirupathur District. Details of the booth were shared in the clip, which caught the attention of many social media users, making it viral in no time.

Residents in Tamil Nadu have been battling with scorching heat over the past few weeks. To provide the voters with a comfortable atmosphere, the District Collector joined hands with the volunteers of the Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission to set up the innovative booth which was branded as a “Green polling booth.” These eco-friendly booths were set up in nearly ten places across the state.

Apart from creating a refreshing environment for voters, efforts were made to raise awareness about the sustainability of natural elements. Inside the booth, flowers were used for decoration. To keep the atmosphere cool, the walls and roof of the booth were made with coconut and bamboo leaves. Adding a traditional touch to the interiors, banana and palm leaves were utilised to create unique designs.

The area surrounding the booth was declared a plastic-free zone. To keep the place clean, separate bins for dry and wet waste were placed in every nook and corner of the booth. People were also banned from bringing plastic bottles. Instead, they could drink water from earthen pots on the premises.

After Supriya Sahu’s post surfaced on the microblogging site, many viewers were left impressed by the idea of establishing eco-friendly polling booths. One of them commented, “Congratulations to Tirupathur DM for this great initiative and all who have put in their effort to make this a success throughout the state. It’s a way to boost and make this democratic festival more enthusiastic.”

“I highly appreciate not using the flex banner,” wrote another user.

Overwhelmed by the initiative, one user commented, “Very beautiful and energising polling booth in Tirupattur; palm and banana leaves are a prosperous sight of tropical green and a good welcome sign to be appreciated.”

Since being shared, the video of the “Green Polling Booth” has garnered more than 43,000 views while accumulating hundreds of likes.