SHILLONG: The Assembly Committee on Environment (CoE), which had closed down the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) at Mawphlang for non-functioning of its sewage treatment plant (STP) in June, on Tuesday decided to reopen the school with immediate effect.
The Committee on Tuesday discussed at length on the measures taken by the school to make the STP functional.
It may be mentioned that during the visit of the assembly committee to the site in June, it had found that sewage from the school was flowing into the river that feeds the Greater Shillong Water Supply Scheme.
Speaking to media persons, chairman of the committee and Mawphlang MLA, SK Sunn, said the Committee earlier had also directed the PHE, State Pollution Control Board and the school authority to conduct a joint inspection to ensure that the STP is made functional.
The team of PHE, CPWD and State Pollution Control Board made two inspections on July 15 and August 3 and found that the school was following all the directives except a few and on Monday, DP Wahlang, who is the Principal Secretary of both the Education as well as the PHE departments, personally inspected the site.
“He (DP Wahlang) informed us that most of the suggestions made by PHE and Pollution Control Board have been attended to except the issue of annual maintenance contract to run the STP,” Sunn said while adding that the estimates for this – around Rs 17-18 lakh – have been sent by the school to their authority in Noida for sanction.
Stating that close to around 40 school days were affected following the closure of the school, he added that the Committee after taking assurance from the Deputy Commissioner, who is also the chairperson of the Managing Committee of the school, decided to re-open the school.
“We have been assured by the DC that they will follow up the matter and make two inspections of the site within a month followed by one inspection every month and report the matter to the Committee.
He also said that it is the school which has to be blamed for its closure as they were contaminating the water streams leading to the Greater Shillong Water Supply Scheme.
