“Plans to protect air and water, wilderness and wildlife are in fact plans
to protect man.”-Stuart Udal
From the deep clean waters to the lush hilltops, massive destruction has ensured that the gifts of nature are reduced to a mere drain and a barren, plain and treeless hill, a sorry-sight to look at.
The Shillong peak which is dedicated to the city, being the highest point in the state, offers a breathtaking bird’s eye view of this once pine city and this peak, sacred to the Khasi believers was once covered with dense forest giving a pleasant sound of nature but rampant destructive activities on part of humans has transformed it to a plain cover.
The Shillong peak which stands at a whopping 2000mtr above sea level is considered sacred by the Khasi community who offer prayers at the sanctum.
But with time, the peak has been ripped off its sacredness with forestation whereby streams has been dried up and the amount of wastes being disposed off at some areas of the peak is a sad thing to see.
Recently, it was noticed that many mobile companies had constructed their towers in this peak but due to strong oppositions from the traditional leaders, the same had to be removed.
In this regard, the KHADC had sent a show-cause notice to these mobile companies to remove their towers from the scared peak.
While some of them obliged, the others went ahead paying no heed. In course of its action, the KHADC was forced to act strongly by sending a reminder to the said company failing of which their trading license would be cancelled.
“There is a myth about this peak and some people especially the older generation still holds dear to that myth”
“I think we as present generation should learn to respect such feeling of belongingness because after all, we are also part and parcel of this land”, one elderly person said.
There is a need to restore the cleanliness and forest cover of this peak just like restoring the Wah Umkhrah to its former glory through the active participation of the local communities, the traditional heads, the governing authority and the youth besides others.
Whatever happened to the The Environment (Protection) Act which was enacted in 1986 with the objective of providing for the protection and improvement of the environment.
It empowers the Central Government to establish authorities [under section 3(3)] charged with the mandate of preventing environmental pollution in all its forms and to tackle specific environmental problems that are peculiar to different parts of the country.
The Act was last amended in 1991 but implementation seems far away.
(By Kitboklang Mawphlang)