Residents of Jammu division will be relieved of the polythene problem as the manufacturing of polythene bags has been banned with the Jammu and Kashmir Non Bio-Degradable Material (Management, Handling and Disposal) Act 2007 coming into force from May 11.The government has issued a notification to various departments asking them to gear up to face challenges on the environmental front. “The Deputy Chief Minister chaired a meeting recently, wherein he stressed upon creating awareness among people and stakeholders,” said Deputy Commissioner Mandeep K Bhandari. He added, “The manufacturing of polythene bags gets automatically banned with the implementation of new Sadr-e-Riyasat Ordinance (SRO). The existing stock of polythene bags would be phased out within six months.” “The administration has been taking the help of NGOs and the media to make people aware of environmental commitments and need to use paper or cloth bags,” he added.