The Co-curricular Academic Development Committee and the Department of Environmental Science at Shillong College, in collaboration with the college’s Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), are organising a conference on the topic of ‘Electronic Waste: Environmental Concerns, Management and Opportunities for Entrepreneurship’ for faculty and students.
This conference is among the first of its kind in the state to bring attention to the issue of e-waste, which has hitherto not been given much importance. The conference will create awareness among college students and faculty with regards to the issue of e-waste, the various concerns that arise therefrom and the need for e-waste management.
It is also expected to give impetus to those interested in exploring entrepreneurial undertakings in this field and elucidate various financial and logistical avenues for this.
Chief guest and East Shillong MLA, Ampareen Lyngdoh, impressed upon the gathering the importance and need of such deliberations on a pressing issue such as this. She stated that Meghalaya is still in its nascent stage in addressing issues of e-waste and e-waste management despite concerted efforts having been made by different government departments since 2009.
She called upon the active participation of individuals, and the community at large, whilst emphasising upon the urgent need towards sensitising programmes to bring all stakeholders into the fold.
On this note, she hailed the college for taking this very important step to organise a national conference such as this and reiterated the importance of intelligent deliberations to formulate steps and strategies in tackling the menacing issues of e waste and e waste management in the state and urged the organisers to come up with a comprehensive report and submit it to concerned governmental agencies so that this event does not only conform and end simply as an academic debate.
Further, she highlighted the otherwise ignored connection between e-waste management and entrepreneurship with a question: “Who will attend to the correct disposal system?”
