The Meghalaya High Court has pulled up the State government for “washing its hands of” the garbage problem in Jowai.
While hearing the PIL filed by the Synjuk Ki Waheh Shnong Jowai today on the piling-up of garbage in Jowai, the division bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Wanlura Diengdoh raps the State government for stating that it had no role to play on the matter.
“The State of Meghalaya, as in most other cases, washes its hands of and says that it had no role to play in civic affairs. It is somewhat disturbing that there is a serious menace of garbage piling up in one of the major towns in the State, something that may lead to disease and disaster, and the State administration seeks only to play the fiddle,” the High Court said.
Meanwhile, the High Court has made the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) of Moopyut village along with the headmen of Moopyut, Pynthor Langtein, Umsalang, Shken Pyrsit, Moopyut Madan Tyrpait, Moosakhia and Sohmynting as parties in the case.
The court’s decision to make the KSU and the headmen of Moopyut and six other villages as parties in the case was taken after an application filed by Jowai Municipal Board before the court.
The application by Jowai Municipal Board informed the court that in March, 2021, the KSU of Moopyut village along with six other villages – Pynthor Langtein, Umsalang, Shken Pyrsit, Moopyut Madan Tyrpait, Moosakhia and Sohmynting – attempted to close the dumping site at Mynkjai.
The Jowai Municipal Board also stated that even though an agreement was entered into for temporary dumping at Mynkjai for three months, since no alternative dumping site has been identified by the task force constituted by the Urban Affairs Department of the State government along with the Jowai Municipal Board, the collection of garbage has altogether come to a standstill.
The High Court also directed that a copy of the PIL be forwarded to the lawyer representing the Jaiñtia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC).
Further, the JHADC was directed to serve copies of today’s order to the KSU Moopyut and headmen of the seven villages and to inform them that the next hearing on the matter would be held on April 22.
The High Court also asked the State government and the JHADC to meet at the highest level to try and suggest an immediate remedy so that the garbage can be lifted and Jowai town cleaned to ensure that major diseases do not break out, “particularly water-borne diseases since it has been raining continuously for the past several days.”
