The State government has so far organised around 600 events as part of the Swachhata Hi Seva campaigns, including cleaning drives, awareness programmes and campaigns titled “Youth vs Garbage” to motivate youths to join the fight for a garbage-free India.
In Shillong, the campaign was launched on September 16 at the Phan Nonglait Park in the city. This was followed by a march for garbage free India.
According to a release issued by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), Meghalaya has been actively participating in the campaign wherein different stakeholders including government departments, local bodies, headmen and students have come together to make the campaign a success.
Under this initiative, cleaning drives have been organised in different places of Shillong including Polo market, Municipal Parking lot at Mawlonghat, municipal market at Laitumkhrah, Jail Road and Police Bazar .
Wompher Shadap, Capacity building specialist of Programme Management Unit of Swachh Bharat Mission, Urban Affairs said that the events have been organised in 141 wards under 10 urban local bodies in the state..
East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner, R M Kurbah said that the office is taking care of the programmes in rural areas through the District Rural Development Agency while the Shillong Municipal Board is organising a series of activities including cleaning drives in Shillong.
It was informed that the district administration has written to different Rangbah Shnongs to carry out cleaning drives in their respective localities as part of the campaign.
Informing that the government is also initiating Ek Taarikh – Ek Ghanta, special program on October 1 on Shramdaan for Swachhata, the release said, the administration is working out on to identify localities which can participate in the event; since the day falls on a Sunday and all activities remain shut here on Sundays.
Shillong Municipal Board CEO, M Lyttan said the board is harping on the participation of citizens to make this campaign a grand success. Asserting that many people have the mindset of keeping everything clean confining to their homes, she added that people throw garbage outside as a result of which the city is already paying a heavy price. “We have to realize that it is now or never. It is a war,” she said while adding that people’s response to the campaign is very positive.
As environment conservation and preservation is gaining prominence, the NCC NER Directorate organized a “Waste to Wonder” competition at Shillong as a run up to the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
NCC cadets from various states of the North East Region and cadets displayed innovative brilliance while making models out of waste to convey a message of a plastic free world and coexistence of all species. Ideas of reuse of waste, recycle of waste, waste segregation, waste reduction, sustainable use of natural resources, environmental innovations, etc were displayed by the NCC cadets.
The cadets were felicitated for their efforts. The winners of the contest NCC Group Shillong were awarded a cash prize of Rs 10000. While the first runner up NCC Group from Dibrugarh was awarded a cash prize of Rs 5000, the second runner up NCC Group Tezpur was awarded a cash prize of Rs 2000.
Earlier, the Shillong Cantonment Board organized a clean-up drive in the Cantonment area. CEO Ayush Mann Maurya of Shillong Cantonment Board said that this cleanliness campaign is being run under the Swachhata hi Seva campaign 2023. The drive was carried out in all the cantonment areas across the country.
Some of the activities that have been proposed for States under the campaign are – removal of garbage from all important places, repair, painting, cleaning and branding of all sanitation assets like litter bins, public toilets, dhalaos, waste transport vehicles, MRFs etc. in the area, cleanliness drives of tourist spots, ASI protected monuments along with IEC initiatives to discourage usage of single use plastic items and conducting special programs, cultural events promoting the sanitation journey of the country.
