Single-use plastic is enemy: Minister

Madurai: Calling single-use plastic “our enemy,” state environment and climate change minister V K Rajeev in Madurai on Saturday urged traders to avoid use of such plastic items.In an event organised by The Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce for honouring new ministers, the minister pointed to a water bottle in front of him and said the TVK govt is working to eradicate single-use plastic.On Ramanthapuram district, the minister said, “Everyone says Ramanthapuram is a backward district, but I took it as a challenge and will change it into a booming district.”Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce president N Jegatheesan urged the govt to alter land classifications for about 140 acres of land that is needed for the runway expansion project at the Madurai airport. While 543 acres of land were handed over to the Airport Authority of India (AAI) for the project, the remaining 140 acres of land were earmarked as water catchment areas, he said. He also requested officials to review the scrapping of proposal to construct an underpass beneath the Madurai–Aruppukottai highway.Ministers T K Prabu, and R V Ranjith Kumar and MLAs A Kallanai, M M Gopison, V M S Mustafa, S Karthikeyan, S R Thangapandi, P L A Jeganath Mishra, and M Vijay Mahalingam were present at the event.