Joint Programmes

AT A time when the country is badly marred by the increasing activities of the so-called Maoist terrorists, it is indeed, a good sign that all the mainstream political parties of the country have agreed to join hands to foil each attempt of the terrorists including their call for the five-day bandh t beginning from 23rd April. At an all-party meeting held at President of Rastriya Prajatantra Party and former Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa’s residence, Maligaon and participated in by the topmost leaders of all the political parties the other day, laid emphasis on creating an environment of coordination, goodwill and mutual confidence among the political parties. The meeting also decided to organise an-all party rally in Kathmandu on May 10. With the all-party meet it has become apparent that the mainstream political parties do not delay to unite to safeguard the multiparty democracy which was ushered in in the country with their joint efforts 12 years back. Unity is power. The all-party mass meeting slated for May 10 will surely remind many the similar mass meet held just after the successful Jana Andolan of 1990.

No doubt, the country is now facing different crises and the so-called Maoists are responsible for the present state of affairs. As such it was highly essential for all the mainstream political parties to come up with joint programmes to protect the sovereignty and the democratic rights of the people. For this, they should focus to free the country from the claws of terrorists, which is impossible without mobilising the political forces of all sorts. In fact, with the criminal activities of the terrorists, political activities of the mainstream political parties have been almost nil in the villages. This is why the security forces have been lately raising voices for more cooperation from the local political parties so that it would be easier to identify and bring the terrorist under law. The decision of organizing an all-party mass meeting at the open-air theater is in itself the most sought after thing the people were expecting to happen much earlier. Similar mass meetings need to be organised outside the Valley too. Such all-party mass meeting could pave ways in resolving the current impasse which has pushed the country further backwards thereby terrorizing people, destroying development infrastructures, killing innocent people in the name of the so-called peoples’ war.

Popularise Jute Bags

IN an effort to protect the surroundings from being polluted by non-biodegradable stuffs like plastic bags as well as to substitute them with environment-friendly jute bags, an exhibition was organised the other day in the capital city. That plastic bags of assorted sizes, colours and made are not only increasingly becoming an eyesore to the capital city’s denizens but also raising the heckles of the local environmentalists can be ascertained by the hue and cry being raised by them through various anti-pollution programmes. So much so that they had even launched campaigns to raise the denizens’ awareness about the plastic bags multifaceted ill-effects on the environment and also people’s health. Especially when the plastic bags are burnt and their obnoxious yet poisonous fumes are unwittingly inhaled by the capital city’s denizens. In addition, they are putting pressure on the concerned authorities to ban the manufacture, use and even sales of plastic bags in the Valley. Yet, plastic bags not only continue to litter the streets, pavements and even parks, but even careen hither and thither on the thoroughfares, particularly when winds of varying velocities happen to pass through the narrow alleys of the capital city. In such cases, if the winds are quite strong, then it is not unusual to see these same plastic bags floating like ethereal phantoms in the air. No wonder that the local environmentalists are up in arms against these pesky plastic bags and going all out to have them substituted with jute bags.

Compared to these irksome plastic bags, the jute bags, being made from naturally spun fibres, are environment-friendly. For one, they are always bio-degradable, especially when their seams start to unravel and are discarded by the users. Another is that these jute bags, unlike the wafer-thin and airy plastic bags, are just too heavy and thick to be seen floating about in the air like some spooks as and when the winds blow. Last, but not the least, by substituting plastic bags with jute bags, the jute industry, presently in a moribund stage, would be getting the much-needed fillip to kick-start its rusting spinning wheels. And, in the bargain, not only on to generate employment opportunities for the people but also revenues for the national exchequer. However, for all this to materialise, the use of bags made from the "golden fibres" must be made mandatory.