SHILLONG, APR 16: The state cabinet on Thursday approved the setting up of the Greater Shillong Waste Management Agency and its registration as a society. However, the agency’s services will not be mandatory and will be provided only on request from localities.

Speaking to the media, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said the decision follows consultations across the city.

“There was a strong need for creation of a Greater Shillong Waste Management Agency.This has been done of course after consultation with close to about 100 localities in the Greater Shillong area which is about 288.5 square kilometres, if I am not wrong, and all these discussions have taken place with different localities,” Sangma said.

“Rapid urbanisation had outpaced waste management systems due to fragmented jurisdictionsAs you are aware, Shillong is growing and urbanization is taking place at a very rapid pace but the waste management and the overall collection of waste is being done by different agencies in different parts because of the jurisdictions that are there in terms of the Institutions that are present. Institutions having a jurisdiction of their own, like the cantonment board has the jurisdiction in cantonment area, the municipal board has jurisdiction in the municipal area and beyond the municipal area it is a Sixth Scheduled area and the district councils have the jurisdiction. Hence, there has always been a lack of coordination and sometimes inefficiency which has led to the management of waste not being at the level that one would desire,” he said.

“So, it is a large area and as I said, different agencies have different jurisdictions and as I said there’s a strong need to have some kind of an agency that will be able to coordinate and improve the overall efficiency of the garbage collection and management. If you look at the overall size, there is a lot of difference in the collections that are taking place and a huge scope for overall improvement,” he noted.

On feedback received, the Chief Minister said, “Consultation has been done with different localities and they have given their response, and majority of the localities have responded positively.”

“We have also taken comments from district councils, especially KHADC and other departments, they have raised certain queries about how the district council will be involved, not involved and we have clarified to the district council on that matter,” he said.

Sangma stressed that availing the agency’s services would be optional.

“But what is important about this agency is that it is not a mandatory service that you will need to avail, it is an agency that will be created, but the final decision, whether to use the services of this agency or not, will lie with the respective localities. As and when the localities desire that this agency provide the services to them, only then will the particular locality be serviced through this particular agency,” he said adding it is purely a service-oriented agency which will be purely based on voluntary, demand and request of the localities.

“Only based on that, will we move ahead with providing the services in that particular locality,” he added