Zero litter drive in Kyndailad and Police Bazaar doing good

Staff Correspondent

Shillong: The government initiative of declaring Kyndailad and Police Bazaar as free litter zone under ‘Operation Zero Litter’ since February 15 year has shown the desired results. The reason is that the vendors and commuters have realized that the penalty will be put in place on anyone who is involved in littering.

Attesting this, the owner of a traditional Khasi food joint in Police Bazaar, Balawan Suting, said things have changed in the past ten days. “Littering by the people has dropped by around 80 per cent”, stated Suting.

He was also candid that the vendors who threw all the waste and allow everything to litter have come to an end.

Vendors along the stretch were seen brooming their own periphery in the past 10 days. A resident of Mawpdang and a vendor in Khyndailad told this correspondent, “We not only act but also caution each soul who litter this area.”

However, some are of the opinion that this trend will only last for a couple of months and things will not improve in the long run.

As per the government notification, anyone found littering or depositing waste in open spaces, roads or drains shall be booked and penalized under SWM Rules, 2016 and the Environmental Protection Act, 1986. As reported earlier, hawkers are the biggest menace in the stretch of Police Bazaar, but little can be done due to the court order that declare the issue as sub-judice.

Also read: Meghalaya News