Shillong, March 9: Meghalaya Chief Minister, Mr. Conrad K Sangma, today launched the My City Campaign, a community cleaning drive campaign and also unveiled the ‘Reimagining Streets’ initiative and also participated in a cleaning drive at Dhanketi held during the occasion.
Addressing the gathering that had culminated at Moreau Institute of Integral Training (MIIT) after the cleaning drive from Dhanketi Parking Lot, Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma, said that different groups, individuals and departments have been doing activities in their own capacity and there was a need to bring the efforts of everyone together.
“This cleaning drive that we had today is something that we want to do every three months because our communities and our culture has been to keep our localities and villages clean,” he said and added that many villages and localities do it on their own without any support.
“For the first time the government is taking this culture of us forward where funds will be provided every three months for this particular purpose,” he said. He also stated that this will first take place in every district headquarter slowly percolating to every village.
The Chief Minister also said that the idea is not about the fact that one day will clean up the entire city or town but to bring about a change in the mind set of the people.
“Every time we clean we have to start realising that we all have a role to play and let every citizen the rest of the days when the government is not sponsoring these cleaning drives take the responsibility to ensure that we keep our surroundings clean and litter free,” he said.
He further said that the students and the youth have a great role in this campaign and said, “Youth when they take up a movement it can be very powerful.” He added that the larger goal is to mobilise the citizens of the state to keep the cities and towns clean.
Further he said that the objective of the Reimagining Streets initiative is to make the streets walkable and said, “We have an ambitious plan to create 10-15 kilometres of walkable footpaths, broadening existing footpaths wherever possible, tiling and paving the footpaths to increase the overall connectivity to encourage walking among the citizens,” he said.
He also highlighted some interventions like underground conduit for cables, painting of buildings, construction of footpaths etc to improve the aesthetic look of the cities. He also informed that the audience of the various programs and projects of the government to make the State and its cities, towns and villages clean, liveable and the best.
The Chief Minister also distributed KickStart cheques to different community representatives and also released the Reimagining Streets Initiative Booklet during the occasion. College students, members of the NCC and NSS, members of different Dorbar Shnongs and members of self-help groups were also present during the occasion.
