HC moots suo motu PIL on city cleanliness

SHILLONG: The High Court of Meghalaya on Tuesday mooted a separate suo motu PIL to address the issue of cleanliness and hygiene in parts of the city in absence of monitoring by authorities concerned.
During the hearing of the pending case related to hawkers in the city on Tuesday, the Division Bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice P. Vaish stressed on the need for a suo motu PIL as there is lack of positive steps on the part of the State Government, the KHADC and other agencies to ensure cleanliness in the city.
The PIL will be taken by the court for consideration on Wednesday.
Following the earlier order of the court, the State Government had reconstituted the Supervisory Committee to oversee and monitor the management of cleanliness in and around Shillong.
As per the additional affidavit of the joint secretary, Urban Affairs Department, the Committee met three times under the chairmanship of the chief secretary.
“The minutes of the Committee show that serious attempts are now being made to ensure synergy of the different role players to maintain cleanliness in the city and to attend to all the tasks related to it. However, it appears that there are still several aspects that need to be constantly monitored,” the court said.
The court was also annoyed over lack of response from the KHADC as it had shown least respect to the requirements of the government appointed committee.
The secretary of the KHADC had remained absent in the meetings of the committee though he has been included as a member of the panel.
“This approach on the part of the KHADC remains seriously questionable and calls for appropriate orders,” the court said.
Having taken note of various requirements of the tasks related with management of cleanliness and hygienic conditions in and around Shillong which, according to the court, “is indisputably found wanting in several areas and scores”.
The court said it appears appropriate to independently deal with the matter in a separate suo motu PIL.
The court also asked the office to register the PIL on the issues relating to efficient management of cleanliness and hygienic conditions in and around the city.
The court made the chief secretary representing the State Government, CEO of Shillong Municipal Board, secretary, MUDA, CEO, Shillong Cantonment Board and secretary of the KHADC as respondents.