SHILLONG: Mawlai MLA PT Sawkmie on Monday said that the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, should visit Mawlai and make its residents fit by removing the marten located nearby.
Moving a call attention motion in the Assembly, Sawkmie also slammed the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board for remaining silent on the smoke and foul odour which emanates from the marten while terming the Board as “defunct.”
He said that the odour from the marten has increased in last few years and will certainly affect the health of the people of the constituency.
Urging the government to construct the new landfill on government land, he added that the dirty water from the marten is now also flowing to Umiam Lake which will adversely affect its aquatic life.
In reply, Urban Affairs Minister Hamlet Dohling said that it is the only marten in Shillong functional since 1938 while adding that the first phase of the sanitary landfill was completed in 2017 and the second phase will be completed this year.
Informing that six persons have been employed at the marten to maintain it, he said that 153 metric tonnes of garbage are dumped there every day.
Aabout the identification of a new site for construction of new landfill sanitary, he said that a task force committee was constituted by the department a few years ago and it received six offers but there has been objection from a group of people.
He also informed that again 4-5 parties have come forward to introduce their land to the Government for the construction of the permanent landfill and the Government is currently examining their matter.
He also said that the department will discuss the suggestion of the MLA that the landfill should be constructed on a Government land.
