SHILLONG, May 22: Disagreement appeared rife between the Jowai Municipal Board (JMB) and Synjuk Ki Waheh Shnong, Jowai, who stood on separate turfs as far as the waste management crisis in Jowai is concerned.
While the JMB claims to have been dutiful in ensuring garbage collection from the town, the Synjuk claims otherwise.
In the wake of the discord, the High Court of Meghalaya has asked the state to convene a meeting of relevant representatives from both the municipal board and the headmen of the localities in Jowai town to address issues of garbage collection.
During a hearing, the court was submitted affidavits by both the Synjuk, which is the petitioner in the case, and the JMB indicating completely different pictures of garbage collection in the town.
The municipal board has relied on an order published on March 17, 2023, indicating the days of the week, the type of waste, the vehicle number, the times at which it would be parked at different localities, the names of the drivers and the attendants who are assigned to the relevant trucks.
The board insisted that such schedule is being strictly adhered to.
Despite the JMB’s affidavit, the general secretary of Synjuk Ki Waheh Shnong, Jowai, affirmed an affidavit claiming that there is hardly any collection of garbage, much less adherence to the schedule referred to by the municipal board.
A report prepared by the secretary of the Synjuk was appended to the affidavit.
“Such report seeks to make out that in some of the areas garbage has been collected only one or two days a month and in certain areas there is no collection of garbage at all,” the court said.
Though the report revealed that the position may have somewhat improved in March, 2023, again, in April this year, a couple of areas were apparently not visited at all by the relevant trucks, it said.
“Both the state and the JMB dispute the purported record of collection of waste sought to be relied upon in the affidavit filed by the Shnong on May 12, 2023,” the court said.
According to the state and the municipal board, a WhatsApp group has been formed with the headmen of the various areas being a part of the group together with representatives of the municipal board so that any failure to adhere to the disclosed schedule would result in complaints being raised.
The municipal board claims that no complaints have been received pertaining to the schedule not being adhered to.
The state has supported the stand taken by the municipal board.
In addition, the JMB claims that because certain difficulties may have arisen, though not relating to the failure to adhere to the schedule, the board had called a meeting of all the headmen so that effective discussion could take place and the matter of removal of wet and dry waste in the town of Jowai could be dealt with.
The municipal board has however reported that only two of the headmen attended such meeting, despite all the others being informed thereof.
“The state should convene a meeting of both the relevant representatives of the Municipal Board and the headmen of the localities in Jowai town. The state, through the office of the Deputy Commissioner, should ensure that the schedule published by the Municipal Board on March 17, 2023, is being adhered to,” the court said.
It meanwhile suggested that any junior officer in the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Jowai, may make surprise visits and report to the DC for the official to file a report when the matter appears next a fortnight hence.
In the meantime, the municipal board was asked to indicate a date towards the end of this week when all the headmen should convene and try to effectively resolve the impasse.
