Visakhapatnam,  Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday called for a complete ban on the use of plastic flexi banners in the state.

He announced that henceforth there would be a complete ban on flexi banners and everyone should start using cloth for this purpose, even if it costs a little more.A

The Chief Minister said that as he was coming to Vizag, he saw plastic banners with his photo. He questioned the District Collector on the usage of plastic when the programme was against the use of it.

To this, the Collector explained that they were not made of plastic, but of cloth and that they had taken precautions to see that no plastic was used for the event.

The Chief Minister participated in a programme held in association with 'Parley for the Oceans', a member of the Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet (GASP), which organised the world's largest beach cleanup endeavour in Visakhapatnam.

"We are taking this measure as the first step to ensure a ban on plastic," Jagan Reddy said.

He noted that the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam is already following the plastic-free policy in Tirumala which is yielding good results.

"Instead of plastic bags, woven cloth bags are used there. We are slowly taking steps across the State as well and we are trying to create awareness among people about using alternative materials instead of plastic," the CM said.