To fight plastic, Swat enlists help of transgenders

District administration launches drive to make reusable cloth bags

SWAT: To discourage the use of plastic bags in the district, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Social Welfare has launched a programme to prepare cloth bags which the Swat district administration will distribute in the region. For this purpose, the welfare department has decided to engage people who are transgender living in the district.

Swat Additional Assistant Commissioner Zamin Khan on Monday inaugurated the project which, he hoped, will not only provide an environment-friendly alternative to the public but also provide a dignified source of income for people who are transgender.

Zamin said under the project, people who are transgender will manufacture the fabric bags with assistance from the district administration. The social welfare department will provide raw material and transport the finished product to the market.

The programme will also accommodate people who are transgender and are living in Swat to produce the bags, he added.

The additional assistant commissioner assured that the rights of people who are transgender will be protected directed all relevant departments in the districts to resolve the issues of the transgender community at the earliest.

Social Welfare District Officer Nusrat Iqbal said that as many as 32 sewing machines have been provided to people who are transgender to start work on the project. Once the demand for their bags increases, manufacturers and vendors will start direct trade.

The Swat district administration will be monitoring the entire process.

District administration officials hoped that in the long run, plastic bags — which have been banned in the district — will completely disappear and the natural, scenic beauty of the valley and its environment are protected.

Environmental Protection Society (EPS) representative Haseeb Khan assured support for the efforts of the district administration.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2020.