Shillong, Mar 30: The state government has been putting in sustained efforts to clean the River Umkhrah in the Shillong city and restore it to its former glory. And the efforts are showing its effect as the river has been considerably cleaned-up of the pollution it was affected with, although a lot is to be done to truly restore its pristine beauty.
BJP’s Pynthorumkhrah legislator and Advisor to the Chief Minister, A L Hek on Wednesday said that the true sense to clean the River Umkhrah (called Wah in local dialect) is to firstly clean the mindset of the people.
Welcoming the initiative, Hek said, “It is a futile exercise to clean the Wah Umkhrah without cleaning the mindset of the people; awareness is needed to educate the people… this is the true sense in which we can clean the Wah Umkhrah”.
On asked, Hek said there is no need in putting ‘stricter’ fines if found on polluting the river but what is needed is a mutual understanding. “The Government cannot be stricter or put pressure, a mutual understanding is what it needs in working with the public,” he said.
But on seeing anyone littering or polluting the river or the area nearby, one should make a complaint to the nearest Dorbar Shnong or Police Station or any concerned authority that can take immediate action to resolve the matter, added Hek.
