A meeting of the Lunglei Town Sanitation Task Force was held yesterday at the UD&PA Conference Hall under the Chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner Pi K Lalrinzuali. The meeting was attended by Govt Officials, NGOS and Village Council members of Lunglei Town VC Area.

Lunglei DUDO Pu Andrew Lalhruaia informed the members that the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, and The Mizoram Solid Waste Management Bye Laws 2018 were being implemented in a phased manner within Lunglei Town. Campaign to segregate waste by using a 3-bin system was also underway, he added. He also informed the gathering that waste collection in 16 out of the 24 town area localities were being managed by the either YMA or the Village Council. He also stated that his Department had submitted the required documents to the Central Government for Environmental clearance of the proposed Solid Waste Management Centre at Riangvai thlanmual, on the outskirts of the town.

The meeting also discussed the issue of encroachment on public roads and spaces by citizens, especially in cases of building construction materials being left lying on the side of public roads for months at a stretch. The issue is quite rampant in Lunglei town and currently, there is no proper fine mechanism for penalizing such offenders. The DC instructed the Nodal Department UD&PA to draw up regulations for the same, to be discussed and approved by members of the Sanitation Task Force in the next meeting. The issue of ban on plastics, especially single use plastics in Lunglei town was also touched upon, with the DC informing the gathering that an official order in this regard would be issued within the next few days. The Committee also discussed their roles and responsibilities for the upcoming Mizoram Cleanliness Competition 2019 and Cleanliness Week 2019.