Sniawbhalang Dhar to visit Jowai to take stock of garbage issue

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaApril 5, 2022

Urban Affairs Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar has been asked to resolve the garbage issue at Jowai, the district of West Jaintia Hills.  

“I have already told him (Dhar) to resolve this issue at earliest possible because the more we delay the more complication will take place,” Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong told reporters on Monday.

He informed that the urban affairs minister will be visiting Jowai to take stock of the situation arising due to the piling of garbage in the market area.

“I think he is going tomorrow to Jowai and see how he can reduce the difficulties faced by the people over there,” he added.

Asked about the steps taken to overcome the hurdles of acquiring land for setting up a new landfill for the district headquarter, Tynsong said that the real problem in Meghalaya is land.

“Because the land tenure system in Meghalaya is so peculiar, any government project unless we get consent from the land owners or from the dorbar or maybe from the dolloi will not be able to do anything,” he said.

Urging the stakeholders for their cooperation, Tynsong said, “My humble request to all the stakeholders let us work jointly. Let us take the responsibility jointly otherwise there is no end to this problem that we have.”

If the government would consider resolving the garbage issue at the village level, the deputy chief minister however said, “Even if you say we will do it locally or we decentralize it but how do you see that few households may say no we don’t again we have the same problem. Number two when we say we are going to set up a scientific solid waste management we cannot split that project –because once you prepare a DPR, a DPR will be Rs 50 or 60 crore so it is not at all practicable to do that that is why we want a designated place, a place where the stakeholders also understand and then they give a land, they donate the land or if not donated, we are ready even to pay land compensation but inspite of that as I said to you we don’t get land.”

He added that a similar problem is also being faced in Shillong, where the government could not get land for setting up the new landfill.

Tynsong requested all the stakeholders that they should not think that waste management will happen the same way as in Marten because now the technology is totally different. 

“If we set up mechanized scientific management, I am telling you we don’t have any problem at all but till now we cannot remove that fear psychosis which still instills in the mind of the people. I request the stakeholders to share the responsibility with the government so that this kind of hurdles that we have would be removed once and for all,” he said.