“If no town committee has been constituted by the relevant District Council for any part of Shillong or the nearby areas beyond the purview of the Shillong Municipal Board, immediate steps should be taken in such regard,” said the division bench in its order here.
This was after the Assistant Solicitor General had pointed out that both in terms of Article 243ZC and the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution that applies here, the District Councils are obliged to constitute town committees for the purpose of, inter alia, overseeing the activities in the urban areas, including safety, security, hygiene and the like.
The bench has also directed that immediate steps should be taken to clean and rejuvenate the Umshyrpi and Wahumkhrah rivers.
The State, Municipality and Defence respondents are represented during the hearing on a PIL.
The civilian respondents refer to a report of a committee and the steps taken for undertaking awareness campaigns for inculcating a sense of hygiene among the residents of the city.
The Defence claims that it has gone beyond the cantonment area to ensure that the city of Shillong is otherwise kept clean.
However, according to the State Government, large tracts of Shillong city fall under the authority of the District Council and it is for the District Council to ensure cleanliness and hygiene within its territory.
Degradation of the environment is something that transcends territorial boundaries.
The bench further directed that the State Government should be more proactive and the Defence may come out with a strategy to undertake cleanliness awareness campaigns and drives all over the city since several parts, including the lower areas around Bara Bazar to Mawlai and some of the other commercial areas in the downmarket localities, need a lot more to be done.
“Appropriate vats or garbage bins should be installed at such places, whether in association with the District Council or at the initiative of the State Government.
At the end of the day, particularly as tourism picks up in the State, there is a need to regulate and monitor, including the menace of tetrapacks all over the place from Laitlum to Umiam and everywhere in between,” the order said.
The bench further directed the State Government officials to meet senior Defence personnel under the aegis of the Shillong Municipality and chalk out an overall roadmap to ensure cleanliness and hygiene in and around Shillong and even beyond.
It said the Amicus Curiae appointed in the matter should coordinate with the respondents and the other appropriate authorities.
Both the State and Amicus Curiae are also asked to file individual reports indicating how the matter has been carried forward in the next hearing to be held on March 16.
By Our Reporter
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