SHILLONG, Aug 4: An already vexed affair in Jowai — dumping of garbage — seems to be only growing by the day as the Jowai Municipal Board (JMB) was compelled to return from Lamyrsiang village under Elaka Sutnga, East Jaintia Hills, where it had went to dump garbage collected from various localities in Jowai town, on Wednesday.
The villagers in Sutnga came out in large number to oppose what they termed illegal dumping of garbage by the JMB employees.
The municipal workers had to reload the garbage onto the truck due to the stiff opposition by the villagers.
CEO of the municipal board, Rimaya Manners, could not be reached for a comment on the incident despite several attempts.
It may be mentioned here that the JMB had come across a major hurdle owing to the lack of a new landfill site to dump garbage.
For some time, garbage was not collected due to opposition from several quarters to the dumping of waste at the present dumping ground at Mynkjai, which is about 11 kilometres away from Jowai along the Jowai-Amlarem-Dawki Road.
The decision to disallow dumping of garbage at the Mynkjai landfill had put the residents of Jowai town in difficulties to the extent that residents hired private dumping vehicles to do away with the garbage piling at their premises. Moreover, heaps of garbage could also be seen at major junctions of Jowai town.
Earlier, as many as seven Dorbar Shnong in West Jaintia Hills had sought time to take a call on the government’s request to allow dumping of garbage temporarily at the old landfill site at Mynkjai during the meeting chaired by Urban Affairs Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar.
