By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 24: The Green-Tech Foundation (GTF) in Meghalaya has raised serious concerns over the implementation of the Rs 39-crore Wahumkhrah Riverfront Development Project, claiming that there is hardly any progress on the ground.
Based on RTI findings, the GTF said the Urban Affairs Department had issued a commencement/final work order to M/s Ganpati Associates & Bikash Harlalka (Joint Venture), Goenka Towers, Keating Road, Shillong on September 11 last year, with a project timeline of 18 months.
Speaking to reporters, GTF chairman BN Nonglang said the foundation waited almost a year to monitor the project after filing an RTI application.
“It has been nearly 12 months since the final work order was issued, yet no substantial work, apart from fencing along the river, has been taken up,” he said.
With only six months left for completion, he asked if the project components, such as green spaces, pedestrian pathways, and a connecting bridge, could be delivered.
He said the fencing work was carried out because of directives from the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which had earlier imposed a Rs 50-lakh fine each for the pollution of Wahumkhrah and Umshyrpi rivers. The NGT later returned the total amount of Rs 1 crore to the government to facilitate cleanup measures.
The GTF highlighted past allocations, including Rs 51.73 crore sanctioned in 2021 for Faecal Sludge & Septage Management (FSSM) of Wahumkhrah, of which Rs 29.61 crore was earmarked for specific projects.
According to RTI documents, the Shillong Municipal Board was tasked with installing decentralised STPs and FSSM facilities.
“We are in the dark on whether the Rs 51.73 crore has been already spent. Let’s not forget the government also spent Rs 16 lakh just to clean Wahumkhrah during the North East Food Fest in 2020,” Nonglang said.
He recalled that the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council had funded Rs 50 lakh in 2013 and another Rs 1.26 crore in 2016 in the Wahumkhrah cleanup efforts.
Nonglang said the GTF will wait another six months to assess the fate of the project.
“If this riverfront project fails, we will demand that the government stop funding further projects for Wahumkhrah. The pollution of the river seems to have become a source for a few individuals to mint money in the name of addressing the problem,” he remarked.
He demanded a thorough study to address the root causes of the river’s pollution before undertaking new projects.
He urged collaboration with stakeholders, particularly Dorbar Shnongs of nearby localities, and suggested mobilising residents as volunteers to prevent dumping of waste into the river.