Meghalaya UDP not in a hurry to declare candidates for upcoming polls

Staff Reporter

Shillong, Oct 18: United Democratic Party (UDP) president Metbah Lyngdoh has informed that the party is not in a hurry to declare candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and MDC elections, which are slated to be held next year.

Speaking to media persons, Lyngdoh said “As party president, I am happy to know that there are many individuals who are eying to contest both MP and MDC election from UDP but the party is in no hurry to declare its candidates.”.

He said it was overwhelming to see that there are many individuals, who have approached and expressed their keen interest to contest the MP election on a UDP ticket.

He said so far two or three people have approached the party for tickets. “However, we are yet to take a final decision on the matter. The decision will be taken once the party sits for a meeting,” Lyngdoh said.

Sources within the party on Tuesday had indicated the names of two former legislators – Jemino Mawthoh and PT Sawkmie – and former HYC president Robertjune Kharjahrin as those vying for the UDP ticket.

With regards to the MDC election, the UDP president said that though the party is yet to take a call on the matter as well, there are sitting MDCs who have expressed their desire to re-contest the election.

JHADC told to work with JMB on garbage management

The Meghalaya High Court has asked the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) to act in conjunction with the municipality to ease the citizens’ woes in regard to the garbage collection in Jowai town.

“In the meantime, the Jaintia District Council should act in conjunction with the Municipality to ease the citizens’ woes,” the division bench said in its order passed after hearing a PIL filed by the Synjuk Ki Waheh Shnong Jowai.

An affidavit has been filed by the Jowai Municipality pursuant to the order dated April 17, 2023.

The petitioner flagged several issues and said that all is not well in the matter of collection of garbage in the town of Jowai.

The petitioner’s affidavit in such regard should be filed within a week from date, the bench said while adding that the matter will appear 10 days hence.

The next hearing on the matter will be held on May 12.

HC asks Jowai Municipal Board how it is disposing garbage

The Meghalaya High Court today directed the Jowai Municipal Board to file an affidavit to indicate how the garbage is being disposed of at the moment in Jowai town.

Hearing a PIL filed by the Synjuk Ki Waheh Shnong Jowai, the division bench said that despite the Jowai Municipality’s assertion that a better schedule for garbage collection is now in place, the petitioner complained that collection takes place only several times a month, rather than several times a week.

Despite previous observations, both the Jowai Municipality and the State appear to be rather indifferent to the plight of the residents in Jowai, it said.

The Court said since the Municipality claims that a better schedule is in operation and seriously disputes the submission made on behalf of the petitioner, the relevant schedule should be disclosed by way of an affidavit when the matter appears a week hence.

“The schedule should indicate the localities where trucks are assigned, the registration numbers of the trucks and the duration that the trucks remain for collection of garbage at various localities. A map of Jowai should accompany the affidavit to indicate that the entirety of the town is covered by the garbage collection drive. The Municipality should also indicate how the garbage is being disposed of at the moment, even while the compost plant is being made ready,” it said in the order.

The next hearing will be held on April 27.

Violators to pay dearly for sewage discharge into Umkhrah-Umshyrpi

Thirty-two areas have been identified along the two rivers – Umkhrah and Umshyrpi – for setting up of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) even as hefty fines have been imposed against direct discharging of sewage into water bodies.

Forty-five days was also given to the concerned authority to take corrective action against mining activities in and around the Umkhen river, which will become the main source of water supply for the new Shillong township.

This was informed by the Chief Secretary DP Wahlang after a meeting on rejuvenation and restoration of these three major rivers of Shillong in the presence of the Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Urban Affairs Sniawbhalang Dhar on Friday.

Different stakeholders including traditional heads and members of civil society groups also attended the meeting, which also highlighted the operative part of the orders passed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) towards cleaning and reviving the water bodies of these major rivers.

“The basic focus was basically on the collective responsibility and also working together with one objective and that is to clean up Umkhrah, Umshyrpi and Umkhen which will be future source of water supply scheme in new Shillong,” Wahlang told reporters.

“It was a good meeting as all of us was in one mind and unanimously agreed that we should work together with the various agencies and the civil society groups and the headmen and I am sure that concrete results will be visible very soon,” he added.

Asked on the steps taking to stop direct discharge of liquid and solid waste into the rivers, Wahlang said in his presentation during the meeting he had shown the drone images of Wah Umkhrah right from the source up to Mawlai area and also Umshyrpi right from the source up to the Umshyrpi bridge and “over there we have seen concrete evidence of direct discharge into the rivers”.

He said that the first internal meeting on the matter was actually held on April 6, in which it was decided that the need to consult with all the other stakeholders and make it a bigger collective body towards addressing this problem.

“And since the last one week we have imposed hefty penalty. In fact anyone discharging directly into the rivers and anyone having faulty septic tanks and defective septic tanks if they don’t repair in 10-days’ time a fine will be imposed at the rate of Rs 500 per day not one time but Rs 500 per day till they seal the septic tank or they ensure the discharge does not make its way directly to the water bodies,” Wahlang informed.

“So a lot of decisions have been taken on April 6 meeting and also in today’s meeting in which I highlighted to all the headmen and environmental groups on what actions have been taken as it is time we all wake up as the situation is alarming and it is a collective effort only which will see us through,” he asserted.

Further, the chief secretary informed that NGT order had directed the need to ensure liquid waste is not discharged directly into the rivers.

“(In view of this), 32 areas have been identified – 20 along Umkhrah river and 12 along the Umshyrpi river – and they are known as the fall-off areas in which we need to setup STPs and five of them are under construction and the remaining we are looking for land. Wherever government land is available we will set up these STPs and if not, we have asked for the cooperation of the local dorbars to give us land to set up these STPs as per the direction of the NGT,” he said.

As far as the Umkhen river is concerned, Wahlang said, “Umkhen we have problem right from the source and we will be taking action as some mining activities is going on around that area. We have given about 45 days to take corrective actions as far as Umkhen is concerned.”

“As far as Umkhrah and Umshyrpi are concerned it will be a long drawn process because the problem is very severe in fact. All the localities have seen what is happening where and we have given video shots and we have given pictorial representation of garbage being dump into the river and sewage being dumped and discharged directly into the rivers,” he said.

Whether any timeline has been fixed to address the issues concerning these rivers, the chief secretary however said, “It will be a little time consuming, we have not fix a timeline but we will be setting up a core group as suggested by the chief minister to monitor whatever we have decided today so it is just not a talkshop but also action is taken on whatever we have discussed today.”

Asked if the role of the district council will also be taken into consideration, Wahlang said, “As far as solid and liquid waste management is concerned, in fact today we shared one very important order of the district council empowering the headmen to impose and levy fines on the citizens outside the municipal areas and with that the headmen are empowered and enabling provision is there in the law and I am sure that the headmen will make full use of the power that is given to them and defined within the law.”

With regards to protection of the catchment areas, the chief secretary said, “We also talked about plantation in today’s meeting but the immediate focus at hand in the meeting today was on the cleanliness aspects of the two rivers and Umkhen river the third one at the source. We didn’t go beyond the sources as far as Umkhen river is concerned but for the catchment areas yes plantation activities have been made and I am sure with the cooperation of all this will be fructify very soon.”

Meanwhile, the chief secretary informed that Rs 110 crore of money has already been ringfenced as far as NGT is concerned for the cleaning activities in and around Shillong town.

“A lot of activities being taken up within the municipal area for the Shillong Municipal Board, funding which will come from AMRUT 2.0 as well as Swachh Bharat Management (SBM Urban) and 15th Finance Commission will also pitched in. There is no amount that has been earmarked but funds will be avail because Rs 110 crore of money has already been ringfenced as far as NGT is concerned for the cleaning activities in and around Shillong town,” he added.