------------------------------------------------------- Jammu: BJP today lashed out at the ruling National Conference and Congress for allegedly failing to address the problems faced by Sikhs in Jammu and Kashmir. "The ruling National Conference and Congress parties have failed to address the problems of Sikh community inspite of being in power and therefore it is only the BJP which can help them," party state president Jugal Kishore Sharma said while addressing a meeting of leaders of the community here today. He asked representatives to identify the issues that the community is facing and bring it to the party. BJP state general secretary Ashok Koul said one of the party's objective was to extend its influence in the community and help them. ------------------------------------------------------- POLYTHENE ------------------------------------------------------- Jammu: Describing polythene bags as a grave threat to the environment, Minister for Urban Development and Urban Local Bodies Nawang Rigzin Jora today appealed to people here not to use it as an essential commodity for daily convenience. "Jammu should be made polythene-free," Jora said while making the appeal. Use of plastic bags on a large scale and their casual disposal, both by consumers and through waste management activities, not only create environmental problems but also reinforce the perception of a "wasteful society," he said. Apart from devastating environmental consequences, plastic garbage and litter "tears down the visual and aesthetic look of the town," he added. Jora gave the example of Leh where the use of plastic bags has been successfully banned from the last ten years. "Such success stories cannot be replicated in Jammu unless and until the community and civil society extend active cooperation to the government in cutting its use," he said.
