Litterbugs clog drains, so does administration

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Nov 12: Litterbugs always clog drains, so does the government by being lenient in executing laws meant for disposal of garbage. A quick peek at plastic mece in Guwahati should suffice this.

Kamrup (M) district administration might have had a smile etched on its face having accomplished Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Cleanliness drives after mid-night in the recent Diwali speaks volumes of the district administration’s enthusiasm to keep the city clean. However, the scheme of things in Guwahati and elsewhere in the State suggests that such efforts are bound to fall victim to improper execution or implementation of various laws that have been ected to solve the problem of garbage for ones and for all. The use of polythene as carry bags or other purposes makes a perfect case study to delve deep into the problem of garbage disposal in the city. It is a known fact that the use of polythene bags of thickness lower than 50 micron is prohibited by the law. It is also seen from time to time officials conducting raids against the use plastic bags lower that their permissible thickness. However, the mece is far from being done away with. Where does lie the fault? Why does not the administration close the farms that produce such polythene bags? Does not it reflect that the administration does not want to solve the problem for ones and for all?

Here is an instance as shown in the picture accompanying this story. The picture is that of the under construction drain at Jalukbari Chowk in Guwahati. By the side of the drain under construction there is a market. Consumers do thong the market for this or that items. It is a busy business area in that part of the city. Flies keep buzzing in the drain that has filths of all hues, and the most commonly seen there are polythene bags of thickness lower than the permissible limit. It is needless to say how notorious polythene is for clogging drains, leading to water-logging and a whole lot of environment-related problems.

When the solution to ‘plastic mece’ is so simple – not to produce the material below the permissible thickness – what prevents the civilized world from getting rid of the mece? It is corruption that has kept the problem of plastic alive for the interest of a section of unscrupulous businessmen. A question that pricks everybody’s conscience is: at whose behest plastic or polythene bags of thickness lower than 50 micron are in use in Guwahati? This practice is going on under the very nose of the district administration. Who are the beneficiaries of this illegal use of polythene bags? The right answer is not far to seek.  Sources say that if and when the very sources where polythene bags of thickness less than the permissible limit come from are detected, it is easy to seal them. “However, the errant parties often move the courts with petitions where such cases are a long-drawn-out process. Had there been instant action, it would’ve been easier to the tackle the mece,” sources added.