Shillong: The abode of clouds rides on the fame of the cleanest village in the continent. Now, Meghalaya is aiming to make its capital, Shillong, spanking clean too.
Anyone caught littering the streets or tourist spots from Wednesday is liable to be arrested and fined up to Rs 5,000.
East Khasi Hills superintendent of police Davis N.R. Marak today issued a notice where residents and tourists have been “advised” to maintain order on public roads, streets and all tourist spots in the district and desist from causing obstruction, injury or annoyance to passersby or indulging in “pollution and littering” on public roads and tourist spots. Shillong is the district headquarters of East Khasi Hills. “Any person not obeying the orders issued is liable to be arrested under Section 102 of the Meghalaya Police Act, 2010, and on conviction by a court of law, shall be liable to a fine of Rs 5,000,” it said.
At the same time, tourists have been advised to carry garbage bags in their vehicles in which wrappers, empty snack packets or water bottles can be disposed of before dropping them in appropriate garbage bins, reported Telegraphindia.
East Khasi Hills is home to tourist spots in Shillong, Sohra, Mawlynnong, Smit, Mawphlang and Mawsynram.
Hundreds of tourists, mostly domestic, arrive in hordes, especially during summer and monsoon. A majority of them drive to Sohra to witness the cascading waterfalls. Many also visit Mawlynnong, located close to the Indo-Bangladesh border, dubbed the “cleanest village” in Asia.
However, apart from Mawlynnong where tourists usually desist from littering, most of the tourist spots end up strewn with leftovers and other garbage. Shillong, which ranked 276 out of 434 cities and towns in the Swachh Survekshan 2017, is working overtime to clean its image.
Marak said the notice was issued as part of an ongoing campaign to keep the capital and the district clean. A supervisory committee, headed by the chief secretary, monitors the cleanliness and hygiene in Shillong. The committee first met in June this year, and has had 11 meetings so far. The committee has representatives from the urban affairs department, Shillong Municipal Board, Shillong Cantonment Board, Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council, Shillong police and Hima Mylliem (Mylliem state).
To come up with ideas to make Shillong more liveable, the urban affairs department will organise the Hackathon 2017 next month where the best minds will come up with solutions on detection of non bio-degradable waste , open dumping of waste, cleanliness in commercial and tourist spots, water leakage and a host of other issues.