SHILLONG:
There seems to be no end to the problem of locating a dumping ground for the garbage lying scattered in Jowai town, with Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, on April 27, calling it a complicated problem.
“This is a very complicated problem,” Sangma said, adding that different locations have been identified but there is resistance from almost all residents of those sites.
The chief minister said that Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, Urban Affairs Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar and local MLA Wailadmiki Shylla have held a number of meetings to discuss the issue of non-availability of a dumping ground, but to no avail.
“Nobody is allowing any place to be used as a dumping ground. So there is a situation where the state government may have to take a tough stand,” Sangma informed.
Sangma stressed that it is not a problem wherein a solution can be found out in one way and hinted at a three-phase discussion to resolve the problem – temporary, medium and long term.
He also revealed that the state government has signed an agreement with a South Korean company to turn waste into energy.
It may be mentioned that piles of garbage have been left unattended at Jowai market places, and the issue was debated in the Budget session of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly in February.
The issue had also reached the Meghalaya High Court where a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) of complaints of household waste and general garbage not being collected in the Jowai urban township area from February 4, was heard.
The government has been appealing to people residing in Jowai to work in coordination with it so that the issue can be resolved as soon as possible. It has even asked them to meet with officers of the concerned department so that they can understand the benefits of setting up a solid waste management.