At one end, where civic administration is trying their best to wipe out the use of plastic bags, a 62-year-old fruit seller has already set an amazing example by selling fruits in handmade paper bags from past 30 years.

Call it a family tradition or anything one likes, but Bhagwan Das Ahuja who sells fruits at the Panchwati Market is truly contributing to the environment and also saving a few bucks by making paper bags at home.

“My father used to sell fruits in paper bags in 1968, when there was no concept of plastic or polythene bags in the market. Since then, making paper bags at our home has become a tradition, which I followed under my father’s direction and now continued by my children”, said Ahuja.

According to Bhagwan Das, fruits packed in polythene bags do not last very long and at times their taste may also suffer.

Bhagwan Das’s family makes around 300 bags per day, which is definitely cost effective in comparison to the poly bags; while consumption is 150-200 bags per day.

Explaining the cost factor Bhagwan Das says “5Kg polythene bags cost Rs.250; on the other hand 5Kg of paper bags when purchased from the market cost nothing less than Rs.700”.

Now, he explains that the same paper bags produced at his house cost him nothing other than old newspaper and other paper waste, which are available at his own house and to bridge the gap, at times, buys a little quantity from neighbors within his locality paying as less as Rs.3per Kg.

Bhagwan Das added that the culture of making paper bags at home was started by his grandfather, adopted by his father and handed over to him, Which he has now passed on to his son. His family has also been honored on several occasions; prominent among them being Rotary Club’s State level appreciation in 2001.

The fruit merchant is confident enough that if everyone of us, somehow try to keep our respective surroundings clean, than the whole city could be kept clean without incurring huge sum on buying waste disposal machines and other such equipment.

Bhagwan Das however believes that polythene does not add to pollution if it is disposed properly and safely; on the contrary he has taught his family to dispose off used poly bags in dustbins.