The Swachh Survekshan 2021 survey, which made for unhappy reading for Meghalaya, should not be brushed under the carpet, Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) leader Thomas Passah said today.
However, he was not agreeing with the report but calling for the government to counter the narrative.
The survey ranked Meghalaya among the dirtiest states in the country. The results prompted disbelief from Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, who argued that only a few neighbourhoods within Shillong could be that dirty.
Passah today claimed that most of Meghalaya is cleaner than any other place in the country and that such a negative ranking will have repercussions on the tourism industry and has cast the state in a negative light.
The state government should take up the matter with the Centre to set the record straight, he added.
Meghalaya was at the bottom of the list of 14 states in the overall cleanliness ranking of states with less than 100 urban local bodies category in the Swachh Survekshan 2021, the results of which were announced by the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry recently.
Swachh Survekshan is an annual survey of cleanliness, hygiene, and sanitation in cities and towns across India.
