The Executive Magistrate and Block Development Officer of Rongram has ordered the Rongram Bazar Committee to pay a fine for “being ignorant and for encouraging pollution of important water bodies”, namely the Ganol River.
The order was issued yesterday and said that further inaction could lead to graver problems as the river feeds into the dam behind the Ganol Hydro Project.
The fine will be imposed on the bazar committee as determined by the District Disaster Management Authority of West Garo Hills. The committee also had to clean up the river within 24 hours of the order being passed.
Proceeds from the fine will be utilised for improving the cleanliness of the market. A provision of funds will be made to create a small dumping ground for garbage in the area. Awareness sessions will also be conducted for all the members of the bazar area to avoid similar future situations.
The matter came to the fore after heavy rains resulted in garbage washing into the Ganol dam site. Downstream, the water is supplied to Tura by the Public Health Engineering Department.
The order stated that the bazar committee is “still ignorant of the fact willingly” and had done nothing to either prevent waste from reaching the river or in using rents and fees to clean it up.
