The Rongkhon Songgital Youth Environment Committee (RSYEC) has called on West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Ram Singh to take action and solve the problem of the municipal landfill at Rongkhon Songgital failing which it will forcibly prevent garbage trucks from dumping waste there.
The landfill serves Tura and has been in the news because some of its waste has been spilling over into a nearby cemetery and stream.
The Meghalaya High Court in 2018 ordered the Tura Municipal Board to clear the garbage from Rongkhon Songgital Cemetery but the TMB has “failed to comply with the direct order,” the RSYEC said.
The Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board had also ordered the TMB to dispose of garbage properly but this has not been followed, it alleged.
Besides polluting the cemetery and releasing unpleasant odours into the air, the Ringrey stream is also very close to the landfill and is now unusable because of pollutants from the dumping ground, the youth group said, adding that the landfill has also become the centre of a residential area and is, therefore, unsuitable for purpose.
The RSYEC has demanded that a new landfill be identified, that the overspill be cleared from the cemetery and a retaining wall be built to prevent any further over spilling and the group has given the administration 12 days to meet its demands.
