Editor,
Through your esteemed daily, I would like to point out the pathetic condition of the only waste dumping site of the city, Marten. Run by the Shillong Municipal Board, Marten received hundreds of truckloads of garbage daily. Its intake capacity is nearly exhausted. When that happens one fine day, an apocalyptic situation will arise where Shillongites would have to stew in their own waste. We can’t even begin to imagine what it will be like then. Already, there is a wall of garbage several feet high adjacent to the old G.S. Road which if it should collapse, then garbage would simply swamp the Riat Khwan reserved forest and there would be irreparable environmental damage to the Umiam river and ultimately Umiam lake. With such a task at hand, we can see only one JCV working daily to push the garbage aside and make way for the new waste to be dumped. There is no treatment of the waste, nor are there any efforts made for segregation, recycling, turning waste into bio-manure et al. The whole shebang is just one haphazard attempt to dump the waste with no consideration for the consequences. In fact, Marten is technically not even a landfill anymore but just a dumping ground. Even the approach road leading to the dumping site is hardly worth a road that everyday waste disposal vehicles are struggling to even get inside and are paying a high price for their maintenance. No wonder the place stinks to high heaven.
We do not know the reasons behind this deplorable situation at the place. Is it because of lack of funds; lack of vision; lack of planning; or is it because the people at the helm of affairs simply couldn’t care less? We are glad to read that the new Minister of Urban Affairs had stated his priority in this area. Let’s hope that he would do better than his predecessor.
Yours etc.,
Monkhmer Lyngdoh,
Via email
Who’s managing PMS?
Editor,
The brochure distributed to the parents and students of the School on the August 22nd, 2016 by an Organisation, calling themselves PTA (Parent Teacher
Association) of the school which includes great personalities of the city like Antonio War, E.M. Khasi Hills District Council, Allan F. Dkhar Vice – President of the United Democratic Party (UDP), Wanshan Kharkrang, an Engineer of the Pollution Control Board, etc who are all big shots of society. This has confused the parents who are not part of the PTA and also the public which is left wondering under whose authority or management this prestigious school is?
The brochure informs us that the PTA members not only contribute to the different amenities needed by the school, but even paid salaries to teachers, which also means that they control the teachers as well.
May we request those who have authority over the school (or have recently forfeited it) to enlighten and inform us as to when the transfer of powers to the PTA happened so that we could understand where to go and approach for anything concerning school matters?
No wonder we have been seeing for a while now the parents who are members of the PTA roaming freely in the school premises any time of the day, while we, who are not, are not allowed to enter beyond the gate. Is this power vested on them because the Principal is immobile? Or is this authority given to them by the Principal herself to help her run the school?
Can someone enlighten us poor parents and the public.
Yours etc,
L Nongkynrih,
Shillong