By Emidao Shylla
Shillong has almost everything, just like the other small cities of the country, but it lacks the basic elements: responsibility, accountability, and civic sense. When we look at the city, we see the same old roads, the tiniest and narrowest ones, and pavements that were once meant for pedestrians have vanished into thin air. Our city, once known as the Scotland of the East, bore this tag not merely as a label, but with a strong connection to Scotland. Decades go by, and it is no longer the Scotland of the East but the ‘Land of the East.’ Where is Scotland? Just like the play written by Samuel Beckett, titled ‘Waiting for Godot,’ we are waiting for Shillong’s tag to be restored.
The narrow roads and the rampant dumping of waste everywhere. What has led to such a sinister downfall in Shillong? The constant effort of a social activist through “My Meghalaya, My Pride” to diminish the irresponsible behaviour of citizens, the frequent noble cause of certain groups in Shillong to clean rivers and streams, and the immeasurable contribution of many youth employed by the Shillong Municipal Board to physically clean the streets of Shillong round the clock have been in vain. The way the issues are addressed is pointless if only a certain section of society wishes to keep the city spotless, whilst the others continue to disregard their efforts and contribution. When shall the general public acknowledge the smallest influence made by a few and share similar emotions? History says that our population has for decades welcomed many things from the West: their religion and philosophy, political ideas and institutions, social reform movements, etc. The list goes on. If many things are inspired from the West, then why not civic sense, accountability and responsibility also be adopted from the West? The answer is that it is not possible because these traits cannot be adopted; they are inborn. Surprisingly, only a small number have these traits within them.
Shillong is still cleaner compared to the rest of the country, but as inhabitants of the city, we know this is not what we know of a “clean city.” Similarly, its pollution is not as much as that of different cities and towns, but we need to nip things in the bud before it gets amplified.
“Walk to Work Wednesday,” a campaign initiated by Swapnil Tembe, IAS, is a very good campaign. Walking is one of the best exercises, helps in digestion and one’s heart, and is the most preferred option for someone who has not subscribed to a gymnasium. As pedestrians, where do we walk when footpaths and pavements are occupied by hawkers? Vendors and hawkers are not to be blamed for this, because the place they have occupied was once upon a time an isolated and secluded space. But with the ever-growing population, their presence on the footpaths has caused immense inconvenience to the public. It is not the onus of the government to tell them to relocate, but it’s at their discretion to be responsible and have the civic sense to move to other areas or rent a shop. It is a sorry state of affairs that certain individuals who have always walked to and from work before the campaign have now stopped because of the above issue.
Time and again, people have blamed certain communities for the dirtiness of a city. Civic sense is not found only in certain communities but in all. Why should we blame a particular community when all are to be blamed? Our grandparents have narrated stories of them fishing and washing clothes by the Wah Umkhrah and now, we can’t even envisage setting foot on it. The fact that a stream is fenced throughout Wah Umkhrah is very alarming and sends a message of the absence of civic sense. Why was there a need for government departments to install those fences? Isn’t this to curtail the disposal of waste into the river? When have rivers and streams been a shelter for our discarded materials? If only our people had civic sense, we would not see what we are seeing today. Naturally, people living in those stretches would be blamed directly for the disposal of waste in Wah Umkhrah, and other rivers. Those who journey all the way to Wah Umkhrah and dispose of their refuse are not blamed, as they are rarely caught red-handed.
The editor of The Shillong Times has frequently posted on her Facebook page whenever her team goes to clean rivers and streams. The remarkable involvement of the editor, the volunteers, and others who are very keen to conserve the natural beauty of the water is nothing but a waste of time if people continue to discard their leftovers in the river. If one is not free to join the noble cause for a noble change, at least don’t contribute to dirtying it. These people who are regularly cleaning the river are neither doing it for fame nor are they expecting anything in return, but are doing their bit as tenants of Mother Earth. If we don’t stop this, one may wonder what we are leaving behind for our future generations.
It may not be wrong to believe that Indians do this, because we know someone out there is tasked to clean up the mess we made. Why do we indulge in such bad behaviour just because someone is employed to clean up our mess? People should also not blame the authorities for someone throwing their waste on the road because they don’t find a dustbin. It will be a waste of taxpayers’ money to install bins every 50-100 metres of the road because it was done earlier, but since people lack ‘civic sense,’ those installed bins were left ignored, vandalised, or even burnt or not used for the right purpose. Ironically, even when bins were installed, one would still witness garbage dumped beside the bins when they could easily slide in through that big hole, but I guess their hands are too heavy to be lifted; after all, it is a “Dhai Kilo ka Haat.” To operate with the mindset, that, “Someone will clean it up” or “It’s okay, the municipal workers will handle it,” is not only irresponsible but utterly dangerous.
If this city or state truly belongs to us, then we must take responsibility for its cleanliness and its governance. The Government has taken many active steps to beautify the capital through different initiatives such as painting murals on the walls and buildings. The walls of Sein Jaintia, which were shamelessly rubbed with lime and were once cleaned by RJ Nicky, are now again defaced by the “white and red painters of town.” Today, many of these murals lie destroyed. It is high time that we cultivate a sense of ownership over our city.
A visit to Iewduh is a visit to a living ecosystem, vibrant, noisy, and teeming with life. However, once the market closes, one is no longer met with the same energy. Instead, one is met with filth, where one has to tiptoe to not trample on the rotten mess. Garbage is left behind because many shopkeepers and vendors believe someone will clean up after them. Cleanliness is a basic civic duty; one must treat one’s surroundings with care. If we all behave as though we truly own the space we occupy, our streets and public places will naturally become cleaner and healthier.
The Government aspires to make the state the cleanest in the country, but even if Rs 10 billion were to be spent on such projects, it would amount to nothing without public cooperation. It is very encouraging that the Government is taking visible and meaningful steps to restore the beauty of Shillong through cleanliness and beautification. As citizens, we must walk beside these efforts and support them fully and actively. Let us act now, be responsible and mindful. Not every problem is because of the Government’s fault. One must look inward and ask if we are doing our part. It is time to understand that civic sense is not optional but essential, and it all begins with us. If we fail to act now, our future generations will hold us accountable. They will inherit the consequences of our negligence. They will inherit a city, a planet in decay.
Godot never appeared before Vladimir and Estragon in ‘Waiting for Godot,’ but Scotland will. I pray that I don’t have to wait for long until ‘Scot’ returns to the ‘land of the east,’ making ‘Shillong, the Scotland of the east’ once again.