SHILLONG: The profusion of waste in almost all parts of the city and the growing traffic congestion have affected the image of Shillong, which old-timers remember for its serenity.
As the state celebrated Gandhi Jayanti on Tuesday with cleanliness drives, Governor Tathagata Roy reminisced about the past glory of Shillong where filth and road congestion had no place.
The governor spoke to reporters on the sidelines of a social awareness programme organised by the NCC Directorate, Shillong, on ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ at Marba Hub in Police Bazaar on Tuesday.
Roy bemoaned that he could not go back to the Shillong of the 1950s, where all houses were Assam-type structures, and added, “At the same time, I would like my government to take such measures as to make things as good as possible under the circumstances. I have already given some suggestions to the Chief Minister and I hope he will act upon them. He sounded very enthusiastic about it.”
On the polluted Wahumkhrah, which once had pristine and crystal clear waters, Roy said, “Obviously, I want the streams and the city to be cleaned, to be restored to its old pristine glory.”
Asked on whether Shillong’s glory can be revived to a certain extent, Roy said, “You can try to relive the past. You can ask me to talk about old Shillong and I can tell you right away that this place (pointing to the Marba hub location) used to be a photo studio owned by two Ghosal brothers.”
“And that Centre Point Hotel used to be a huge departmental store called Abdul Gaffur and Sons. They were a very old family and patients of my uncle who was a doctor here,” he added.
Roy said being a governor he cannot walk the streets of Shillong as he recalled “the pleasure of walking on GS Road”.
“I did walk in Lower Jail Road where I spent my childhood and I relived my past, my childhood in a small way but still I think it can be done provided the goodwill is there, effort such as we have seen today, these will kindle the good will,” he added.
At the programme, the NCC cadets enthralled the audience with their realistic performances on maintaining cleanliness in the state.
Lauding their performance, Roy said the skit was exceptional both in terms of performance and planning.
While speaking to the audience, which included the cadets and local populace apart from officials, Roy appreciated the services rendered by the NCC in nation building and creating a human resource which is not only trained, disciplined but has nationalistic outlook.
He also appreciated the enthusiasm of the youth from the North East in enrolling for NCC.
At the end of the programme, the Governor briefly interacted with the NCC cadets.
