The misty Buxa Hills, nestled inside the Buxa Tiger Reserve, are poised for a makeover. Inspired by Meghalaya’s Mawlynnong — the village once crowned the cleanest in Asia — the Alipurduar district administration has launched a bold initiative to scrub the mountains of plastic and reclaim their natural charm. The project has been christened “Heal Buxa Hills.”
Mawlynnong became a byword for ecological discipline two decades ago— no plastic, no smoking, bamboo dustbins dotting its lanes and villagers themselves acting as custodians of cleanliness. The Alipurduar administration now hopes to recreate that ethos in Buxa, where unchecked tourist activity has scarred its pristine beauty.
"Buxa is one of our biggest tourism magnets, but plastic waste is eating away at its soul," District Magistrate R Bimala admitted, adding, “We want Buxa to shine like Mawlynnong. It deserves that.”
The diktat is simple: plastic is outlawed across all 13 villages of Buxa Hills, from Adama to Lepchakha and Buxaduar to Sadar Bazar. Tourists may trek, sip or snack— but not with plastic. If you carry a plastic bottle, it must land in a designated dustbin, or you pay a fine. Smoking and paan spitting? Equally verboten.
The district administration, in collaboration with gram panchayats and forest officials, has mapped a campaign to purge plastic. Locals will sweep through villages collecting waste, cart it to Santalabari and from there it will be ferried to the Alipurduar Municipality’s plastic waste management facility.
What makes this campaign distinctive is its grassroots energy. From shopkeepers to guides, residents have embraced the plan not as a diktat but as a shared duty. Clay cups, paper-leaf plates, wooden spoons and cloth bags are replacing plastic wares at local stalls.
"Tourism is our livelihood, but plastic destroys the very nature tourists come to see," said Seema Dukpa, who runs a food stall, adding, “We now serve in clay cups and leaf plates. It feels good to protect our hills.”
Guides, too, have joined in as green sentinels. “Every tourist will hear it from us—no plastic, no compromise,” pledged guide James Bhutia.
The timing is critical. The Buxa Tiger Reserve reopens to tourists on September 16 after its monsoon closure. The administration wants the plastic-free regime in place before the first trekkers return. Posters will warn of fines and monitoring committees will keep vigil.
"The stakes are high. Tourism is the economic backbone of the hills. A cleaner Buxa promises not just environmental redemption but also sustainable prosperity. This is not just a campaign. It is our future. We want Buxa to be as famous as Mawlynnong— only bigger, only greener," said Elizabeth Dukpa, another resident.
For now, the dream is simple yet audacious: to turn Buxa into the “cleanest hills of Bengal”.
“Whether the model of Mawlynnong can be transplanted here will depend not on posters or fines, but on the people themselves— who must rise as guardians of the forest they call home,” said District Magistrate Bimala.
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