Shillong, Mar 22: Assembly Speaker Donkupar Roy did not allow NPP legislator, Agatha K. Sangma to submit her suggestion with regards to garbage disposal since she raised the issue after the time allotted for question hour was over.
Though the South Tura MLA insisted, the Speaker told Agatha that “we have to go as per the item listed for the business of the day.â€
Earlier during question hour, questions were raised on the need to improve disposal of waste including dumping of garbage at the dumping ground at Mawlai.
In his reply to the question raised by Mawlai MLA, P.T. Sawkmie, Urban Affairs Minister, Hamletson Dohling said that at present, no proposal has been moved for shifting of the present disposal of garbage at Marten, but alternative site for new dumping ground was being examined.
He also informed that a new task force was set up to identify and select suitable landfill site for long term use.
He said that the department has been on the look-out for new solid waste processing and disposal site since the Marten was in use from 1938 is reaching a saturation state.
To a query by Congress MLA, Ampareen Lyngdoh on the proposed landfill site at Umsawli, Dohling said that due to various public objections on all the sites which were identified by the Task Force set up by the government in 2009, the 54 acres plot of land at Umsawli which was already in possession of the department of urban affairs, could not be utilized for the project and the funding by ADB on the long term sanitary landfill could not be finalized.
A joint inspection conducted on August 17, 2017 by former chief minister, Dr Mukul Sangma decided that since looking at the potential of the site earmarked for the sanitary landfill, the same should instead be developed as a tourist resort or as a facility from tourism perspective.
