Yuri Rajput
Udhampur town a beautiful town situated on the banks of sacred river Devika, is about 65 km from Jammu having also headquarter of northern command Indian Army on Jammu-Srinagar national highway.Udhampur town is also known for its clean environment and pleasant weather.At present Udhampur town is facing a serious environment threat due to use of unchecked and free flow of polythene plastic bags in market.Almost every where we go will see people carrying shopping items in plastic bags.whether it is shop of ready made garments or it is karyana store or it is vegetable shop every body is using it.Due to lot of plastic bags dumped in sacred Devika its existence is in danger. Where ever we go in Udhampur town and its vicinity every where we find used polythene scattered in garbage heaps,lanes,choked drains.Polythene is not biodegradable and if dumped in the soil causes havoc to plant life as the toxic substance of polythene get blocked among the soil particles.It also threatens the life in waterbodies.The chemicals in it affects the survival of flora and fauna.It also clog the drains causing problems in the water flow of the pipes.In most of the households polythene bags are used to preserve food items and it has been found out , the colourful polythene bags contain lead and cadmium which are toxic and cause adverse effects to human health.If it is burnt in open air hydrogen cynide is released having carcinogenic effects besides air pollution.A single plastic bag can take upto 1000 years to decay completely in other words,the more plastic bags we use the greater the chances of environmental damages.Plastic bags not only have adverse effects on natural habitats but also been found to be responsible for the death of many animals mainly on account of the suffocation encountered on eating them.At present it is necessity to create awareness among masses on the ill effects of using plastic and polythene bags and take to bags made of biodegradable material that is jute, cloths and recycled paper.It is also duty of literate persons of society to discourage people including at their home and in their neighbourhood from using plastic and polythene bags.Through your esteemed daily it is my appeal to distt administration Udhampur to awake from deep slumber and ban polythene bag completely in market and forms teams to conduct surprise checks at the shops at frequent intervals and initiate strict action against the shopkeepers and vendors using plastic bags.I also appeal to Chief Minister of J&K State, Omar Abdullah to act and make complete ban on polythene bags in state just like our neighbouring state Himachal Pardesh has done and had remained successful in their mission.
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