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Judgment
Recent affidavits have been filed, both by the Jowai Municipal Board and by the petitioner in this public interest litigation indicating completely different pictures of garbage collection in the town of Jowai till such time that a permanent solution is reached.
The Jowai Municipal Board relies on an order published on March 17, 2023 indicating the days of the week, the type of waste, the vehicle number, the times at which it would be parked at different localities, the names of the drivers and the attendants who are assigned to the relevant trucks. The Municipal Board insists such schedule is being strictly adhered to. In support of such contention, a number of photographs have been relied upon claiming massive garbage collection from different areas.
Despite the Municipal Board’s affidavit, the General Secretary of Synjuk Ki Waheh Shnong, Jowai has affirmed an affidavit claiming that there is hardly any collection of garbage, much less adherence to the schedule referred to by the Municipal Board. A report prepared by the Secretary of the Shnong has been appended to such affidavit. Such report seeks to make out that in some of the areas garbage has been collected only one or two days a month and in certain areas there is no collection of garbage at all. Though the report reveals that the position may have somewhat improved in March, 2023, again, in April, 2023 a couple of areas were apparently not visited at all by the relevant trucks.
Both the State and the Municipal Board dispute the purported record of collection of waste sought to be relied upon in the affidavit filed by the Shnong on May 12, 2023. According to the State and the Municipal Board, a whatsapp group has been formed with the headmen of the various areas being a part of the group together with representatives of the Municipal Board, so that any failure to adhere to the disclosed schedule would result in complaints being made. The Municipal Board says that no complaints have been received pertaining to the schedule that was published on March 17, 2023 not being adhered to.
The State supports the stand taken by the Municipal Board. In addition, the Municipal Board claims that because certain difficulties may have arisen, though not relating to the failure to adhere to the schedule published on March, 17, 2023, the Municipal Board had called a meeting of all the headmen so that effective discussion could take place and the matter of removal of wet and dry waste in the town of Jowai could be dealt with. The Municipal Board reports that only two of the headmen attended such meeting, despite all the others being informed thereof.
The State should convene a meeting of both the relevant representatives of the Municipal Board and the headmen of the localities in Jowai town. The State, through the office of the Deputy Commissioner, should ensure that the schedule published by the Municipal Board on March 17, 2023 is being adhered to. Any junior officer in the office of the Deputy Commissioner may make surprise visits and report to the Deputy Commissioner for the Deputy Commissioner to file a report when the matter appears next a fortnight hence. In the meantime, the Municipal Board will indicate a date towards the end of this week when all the headmen should convene and try to effectively resolve the impasse.
List on June 7, 2023.