Shillong, June 21: Meghalaya’s Lok Sabha Member, Conrad K. Sangma today said individual efforts and using of affordable technologies could drastically improve the polluted environment. Sangma said the Paris Climate Conference has expressed deep concern over the degradation of environment and also emphasized of making a leap forward to improve the environment.
Addressing an international conference on “Climate Change Mitigation and Technologies for Adoption” organized by Synod College, Shillong, Sangma suggested that individuals could play a major role towards improving the environment by using things that are eco-friendly.
In this regard, Sangma informed the gathering of experts on environmental issues and students that when he was the then Finance Minister of Meghalaya, he had advocated to use of CLF bulbs instead of ordinary bulbs in order to reduce emission of carbon footprints. “This idea was strongly opposed, as ordinary bulbs were much cheaper”, Sangma said.
He also said when he was a minister, Sangma advocated using of solar energy in the main Secretariat in order to reduce consumption of power. He also wanted then that schools and colleges to use solar power.
While referring to adoption of technologies, Sangma suggested that products should be manufactured at an affordable price within the reach of a common man. When a common man and individual use the affordable technologies in large scale, the polluted environment is definitely bound to improve.
Speaking on tourism, Sangma pointed a state in Northern India, where the environment has been badly affected by massive tourism industry to remind the audience of the negative aspect of tourism that need to be taken care of.
Sangma said when he became a finance minister, the budget allocation for Meghalaya tourism was only two crore rupees and due to his persuasion on the Chief Minister, the tourism budget allocation was increased to fourteen crore rupees. He said the idea high investment in “high tourism” would bring higher returns for all those involved in the sector.
