By Barnes Mawrie
Once upon a time we boasted of Shillong as the “Hill Queen of North-east India”. Today it has become an etiolated queen with little left to impress people. Those who have visited this city earlier, say two decades ago will be shocked to see the degenerating beauty of Shillong. Once acclaimed as “Scotland of the East” Shillong is gradually turning into a “Wasteland of the East”. Many parts of the city have become dumping grounds and city streets are littered with trash. During the rainy season the ugly face of the city is exposed when dirty water from the drains spill into the streets and footpaths. One wonders why such beauty has waned away so quickly. There are many reasons to this. Poor drainage system is one reason why sewage flows into the open. Shillong has also turned into a concrete jungle. High rise buildings are sprouting up like mushroom. There are no construction rules and safety norms, or if there are, they are only in papers. The government is shy of implementing them. As a consequence layers of buildings have come up posing health hazards and safety threats to citizens.
Today you seldom find a house in Shillong with a sufficiently large enough compound. The population density is swelling day by day and it has nearly reached saturation point. I am personally sad to see the condition of our renowned Golf Links. Think of what it was a decade ago and see what it has become now. Who on earth has dug trenches all around it and why are the people concerned silent about it? If someone has done it with a good reason, he has however done it without an aesthetic sense. It is sad to see how those in-charge have not thought of putting up dust bins in some places. If Golf Links is seen littered with trash, we cannot blame the public for the authority has not provided options for disposal of trash. Today we can hardly boast about our Golf Links for it has become a matter of shame, a picture of our uncivilized manner.
Few localities in Shillong can still boast of cleanliness. It is evident that localities where only local people reside like Mawlai, Mawkhar, Jaiaw, are spick and span and there is proper disposal of garbage. A sense of cleanliness is evident among the residents here and they take pride to keep their localities clean and hygienic. On the other hand it is sad to witness areas where there is a mixed population of locals and non-locals like Polo, Nongthymmai, Rynjah, Nongmynsong, Madanrting etc. In such localities a sense of cleanliness is very much lacking. Garbage is dumped on roadsides, people litter the streets without a sense of shame and they seem to thrive in unhygienic conditions. The reasons for such irresponsible behavior is not difficult to discover. First of all, there seems to be little sense of belonging among many non-locals and so keeping Shillong clean does not seem to be their priority. Secondly, many of these non-locals belong to a floating population who live temporarily in rented houses. Such residents can hardly feel a sense of belonging to a locality and consequently they least care for the well-being of the surrounding. Unfortunately, even the local people who live in such a mixed population, have learnt to adopt the bad practice of keeping their surroundings dirty.
Certain bad food habits of our Khasi people have also contributed to the present state of Shillong. Eating kwai and tobacco is a major cause for the damage to Shillong’s beauty. It is enough to look at the parking lot in Garikhana. When it was inaugurated a few years back it was resplendent in beauty. Today it is in a deplorable state. Lime marks have covered the pillars and the walls and red spittles are seen all over the place. Look at Iewduh which has remained as chaotic as ever. On rainy days it is a nightmare to go to Iewduh with its filth and dirt exposed. I believe the District Council must take this issue seriously for it is a matter of shame for the Khasi people. It is not the empty slogans of some NGOs about “Keep Shillong clean” or “Save Shillong” etc, which will solve the problem, but there is need for stringent measures on the part of the Urban Department. Since many of our people are still uneducated and incapable of exercising their freedom responsibly, certain punitive measures need to be imposed to teach them disciplined behaviour. The authority needs to establish a contingent of City Watch Team (call them whatever you like) who will monitor citizens’ behaviour and impose fines on anyone who flouts the rule of cleanliness. Perhaps only such extreme measures will be able to restore the former glory of our renowned city. Ultimately, we need a change of mindset, namely, that every Shillongite (local or non-local) should treat Shillong as his/her own city and take pride in keeping her clean and beautiful.