From Our Correspondent
NONGPOH: Voicing for a cleaner Nongpoh town, local school students on Friday called upon the people to do the needful in keeping the town clean so as to prevent any outbreak of diseases due to the present unhygienic state of affairs.
School students of Morning Star Secondary School, St Paul Lower Primary School, Savio English Lower Primary School and St, Paul Secondary School participated in a clean drive organized by the Mawroh Sports and Cultural Club and Pynim Lang Self Help Group here on Friday.
This scribe spoke to some of the teachers and students who participated in the cleaning drive to enable them to voice their concern for the need of cleanliness in Nongpoh.
Bahunlang Lamare, a teacher of St, Paul Lower Primary School expressed concern over the indiscriminate dumping of garbage especially plastic waste on the streets when most of the time the dustbin remains unutilized as people do not use them.
She stressed on the need to keep the streets clean and proper collection and disposal of garbage. She also stated that people should learn to practice civic sense.
Ten-year-old Rona Marten, a Class 3 student, said that she feels sad that Nongpoh town has become dirty as people do not have the sense of responsibility of ensuring a clean town as they dump garbage anywhere according to their whims and fancies.
She also said that the shopkeepers keep their shops clean but dump waste from their shops at every nook and corner.
Shiningstar Syngkli, a Class 10 student said that everybody seems to forget that ‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’ as no one will be able to have good health if their surroundings is dirty as it might lead to the outbreak of diseases.
He also said that as Nongpoh is the link between Assam and Meghalaya, thus it is a tourist centre. “But it is sad to note that there is no proper drainage system or dustbins. During rainy seasons the drains are flooded due to stagnation of garbage,” he added.
Reshma Sylliang, another Class X student, requested the authority concerned to organize awareness programmes about the need for cleanliness and organize cleaning drives from time to time to inculcate civic sense among the local residents and shopkeepers.
She also appealed to the law makers to enact stringent laws to punish people who throw or dump garbage indiscriminately as such acts are detrimental towards a clean village or town or State.
Bidalin Warbah and Nika Marwein, both Class IX students, advocated on the need for massive cleaning drives in Nongpoh and proper cleanliness of drains and roads. They also stressed on the need for community participation for ensuring cleanliness.
Biolin Iawphniaw, a school teacher also called for proper disposal of garbage, even as she assured to mobilize her students to educate the shopkeepers and residents on the need of proper dumping of garbage.