A statue of Mahatma Gandhi, made from recycled waste, was on Monday unveiled in Uttar Pradesh's Noida as a symbol of 'Swachh Bharat' (clean India) on the 80th anniversary of the 'Quit India Movement.

The statue of 'Marching Gandhi' installed near Noida's Sector 137, is solely made from plastic waste. Recalling Mahatma Gandhi's vision for a self-reliant and clean India and fulfilling the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Noida Authority in collaboration with a private company built the statue to remind common people about reducing the use of plastic in Noida.

Gautam Budh Nagar MP Mahesh Sharma, MLA Pankaj Singh, MLA Tejpal Singh Nagar, and Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari unveiled the 20 feet high, 6 feet long, 6 feet wide statue weighing 1,150 kg.

After single-use plastic was completely banned on July 1, efforts are being made to make people aware of the environmental harm caused by plastic and ensure 100 percent compliance to control its use. Therefore, the construction of this statue from scrap is like an awareness campaign.

Simultaneously, operation "Plastic Exchange Mobile Van" has also been started. So far, 170 people have exchanged 816 kg plastic bottles and 52 kg polythene with cloth bags, wooden stock rates, and steel bottles, under this campaign. (AA/IANS)