SHILLONG, MAR 18: Meghalaya urban affairs minister Ampareen Lyngdoh on Friday denied that Shillong was ranked as one of the dirtiest cities in the region.
During the courst of her reply in the assembly, Lyngdoh said, “The survey conducted through the Swaach Bharat Mission to rank 75 cities and their cleanliness was evaluated on certain criteria’s. Nowhere in the report have the word ‘dirtiest been mentioned.”
Expressing shocked at the minister’s reply, HSPDP chief Ardent M Basaiawmoit said, “In fact, Shillong has been ranked as the dirtiest cities in the India Clean Mission ranking. I will not be able to accept the reply.”
Lyngdoh, however, said, the survey in fact have categorize all these 75 cities in different categories while one would be the rank as the city where things are very managed, second is the aspiring, where there are some the lacunae, the third was acceleration required which means the word dirtiest was not mentioned anywhere in the report.
Stating that there were certain parameters during the survey, Lyngdoh said, “The first survey was on solid waste management, where the city of Shillong actually mentions as a city which had a system in place. The other one is information, education and behaviourial change communication and hence we are intensifying on awareness.”
Lyngdoh also mentioned the door to door collection and transportation which again has been reinforced by the ADB project. Another one is the disposal which is again reinforced by ADB landfill component project. The other is the Individual toilet which is aggressively addressed by the department through various schemes of the government.”
When asked about the actual rank of the city, Lyngdoh said, “Out of the 75 cities, we were ranked 53rd.”
Seeking stern action against littering in public places, Basaiawmoit however said before Shillong was known as the Scotland of East, that itself proof that Shillong is no more the Scotland of the East.
On this, the minister said that the department was faced with certain prominent challenges and steps have been taken to address them. According to her, the first challenge is the absence of a single governing institution for the entire greater Shillong city.
“The other is the multiplicity of agencies for different towns and localities of the urban agglomeration and the absence of public representative in the urban local bodies, which we were never able to have the elections. We also have lack of awareness of citizens and participation and financial deficiency in the agencies,” she said.
The minister assured that the department is working in earnestly and sincerely to regain back the past glories of Shillong as the Scotland of the East.- By Our Reporter
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