People of Assam's first 'clean and green village' want development

A CORRESPONDENT

PATHSALA: People in Belona village, situated in Assam's Bajali district, popular as Assam's first clean and green village according to Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, 2019, alleged that the village was still underdeveloped.

Two years have passed since being declared as a 'clean and green village' but no progress has been made in regard to development in the village. Speaking to this correspondent, Jitumani Das, a local of Belona village said, "We want to promote this place as a tourist spot. But this village is still underdeveloped."

"If the government sets up an entry gate, a museum, tourist resort, children's park, community building and proper road connectivity to attract people from different parts of the world, then there will be good scope for the locals, as many people of this village are still unemployed," he said. He added, "I request Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and local MLA Ranjeet Kumar Dass to develop this place."

The locals of Belona village are environment-friendly. In fact, the locals impose a fine of Rs 500 on anyone who is seen using single-use plastic bags.

Earlier in 2019, former Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal tweeted, "A community coming together to walk on the path of Swachhata. People of Belona have shown how conscious collective effort can beat plastic pollution."

Taking note of this achievement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated the administration for this remarkable achievement.

Congratulating Sonowal, Prime Minister Modi wrote, "Very good! Cleanliness powered by community initiatives is always wonderful to see. Congratulations to everyone who has worked on this Swachhata effort."

In another tweet, Sonowal informed that many more villages are adopting similar practices, making 'Clean and Green Village' a mass movement in Assam.

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