As Christmas and New year season went full swing with Christmas trees and decorations up and illuminated with lights, there was one item that also shared the limelight, bathed in the lights against the silhouettes of the festive spirit. Next to the biggest Christmas tree in the town circle, in Phungreitang’s Gandhi memorial is an even bigger pile of garbage, dumped recklessly by the residents of its locality.
The enormous pile of garbage is just in front of the entrance of the reserved police which is just adjacent to the Town hall, the biggest and the most functional hall structure in Ukhrul town. As one enjoys the festive decors, it’s hard to ignore the competition between illuminated spectacles versus the pile of garbage.
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Again, barely 20 meters apart stands one of the most iconic and functional structures in Ukhrul, the Ava Market, again, located in Phungreitang, which is populated with the same problem. But this time, the pile is even bigger, dumped recklessly at the front of the building. Given the fact that the market is a hub for food market and entrepreneurship such as the Vocal for Local and its flagship programme, Friday Market, it is extremely disappointing to see huge piles of dump welcoming you on both sides of the structure.
Again in Phungreitang itself, adjacent to the new UBC church building on the pedestrian side lies a disturbing visual where the authority of the locality can be questioned. Besides a banner and a standing notice board that notifies culprits dumping in that specific area would be fined Rs 2000, the area is covered with garbage of all sorts.
In the same area on the other side of the road, adjacent to the winger booking counter. A huge pile of garbage stands tall despite an even bigger notice banner warning a fine of Rs 5000 against anyone who dumps in the area.
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Perhaps the most disturbing scene of the whole menace is the reckless attitude of the residents recklessly dumping even under the painted murals of the ‘Project paint Ukhrul’. The sharp contrast in the attitude of the society can be subtly reflected upon the actions of one that does good, and the other that destroys it.
Starting first with Phungreitang in a losing streak, the second phase of the murals under ‘Project paint Ukhrul’ located on the pedestrian side adjacent to the new UBC building. All sorts of rubbish and garbage in plastic bags and sacks dumped along the sidewalk in the background of a freshly painted mural depicting beautiful flowers and a painting of the indigenous dog breed, the Haofa̱ or Sãfa̱.
Infestation of dump had also started building up on the opposite side of the road in that same area which again, unfortunately, has freshly painted murals in the background.
Hamleikhong with the biggest administrative offices — The DC office, The Mini Secretariat building block etc. is not any less. Being the first locality of Ukhrul in the threshold with the opportunity to set the first impression on tourists, first timers and the likes, the locality should set the par, but instead, the locality is infested with filthy garbage dumped along the sidewalk of the DC office which again has freshly beautiful painted murals in the background under ‘Project paint Ukhrul’.
The kind of sentiment it must’ve sent to the artists that invested their time, collaborated and expressed their skills to make the town more beautiful and colorful now tarnished by the reckless dumping.
To be continued tomorrow.
Soror Shaiza