Shillong: The Swachh Shillong Campaign has fallen on deaf ears. This picture is a clear indication of a dirty mindset that refuses to change. This garbage dump falls within the Umpling Dorbar but since it is a busy thoroughfare the Shnong has completely failed to police the area.
This is a road frequented by morning walkers from nearby areas. It is also a favourite haunt for people learning driving. There are others who use this road to reach NEIGRIHMS quicker and while on their way to and from there also fling their rubbish by the side of this road.
A citizen journalist who rummaged through one of the garbage filled bags also came upon some electricity bills of Elas Sun, Jaiaw Laitdom, AS Sun, Jaiaw Laitdom (possibly from the same family) and also a letter from State Bank of India addressed to Rihun Lyngdoh C/o Klas Sun also of Jaiaw Laitdom.
The Umpling Dorbar has a well-oiled machinery for collecting garbage from each household. But the Dorbar now has to contend with garbage from the rest of Shillong.
Earlier, the Rangbah Shnong of Umpling had sought the cooperation of the BSF which is headquartered in the area close to the place where garbage is being thrown but the arrangement evidently has not worked.
But this has ceased to be the problem of Umpling. It is a failure of the civic management of Shillong city and people’s own apathy to cleanliness.
“Jaiaw used to be known as a clean locality and even bagged the Cleanest Locality Competition organised by the Meghalaya Tourism Development Forum (MTDF) but it seems that the people of Jaiaw have no qualms about throwing their garbage in other localities,” observed a resident of Umpling.
