States » EastPosted at: Jun 6 2025 12:31AM


Meghalaya CM calls for public participation, personal accountability in environmental conservation

Shillong, June 5 (UNI) Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Thursday called for public participation and personal accountability in environmental conservation.
Participating in the World Environment Day 2025 celebrations by attending the Avenue Plantation of ornamental trees at Ummir Playground at Ummir village, in New Shillong township under East Khasi Hills district, the Chief Minister took part in the plantation drive by planting a tree at Umniuh junction.
Reflecting on the challenges facing Meghalaya’s ecology, he presented compelling imagery from West Khasi Hills and Mairang —areas where degradation is visibly taking its toll — urging every citizen to reflect and act.
He emphasised the urgent need for personal responsibility and collective action in safeguarding the environment.
Highlighting visuals of deforestation and land degradation in parts of West Khasi Hills and Mairang which he illustrated with two videos of which he took on his mobile phone while travelling on official visit by helicopter, the Chief Minister called on every Meghalayan to ask themselves not
“What can I do?”—but “What am I going to do today to protect my environment?”
“Every small action matters — whether it's switching off unnecessary lights, saving water, or carrying your waste until proper disposal. These habits must become a part of our daily lives, not just today,” he asserted.

“What am I going to do?” he asked the crowd, emphasising that change begins with individual responsibility, not mere policy announcements.
“Today is World Environment Day, but the commitment we show today must become a habit we live by every single day,” he said.
Highlighting Meghalaya’s ongoing efforts to combat climate change and reverse environmental degradation, the Chief Minister said that his government has planted over 1.84 crore saplings in the past five years and is targeting an additional 42,000 hectares of afforestation in the next phase.
He lauded the community-led GREEN Meghalaya+ initiative—India’s largest Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) programme—which has already preserved more than 52,000 hectares of forest through grassroots engagement and financial incentives to local communities.
This, he said, aligns with Meghalaya’s traditional sacred grove philosophy, combining cultural legacy with modern conservation.
“Through PES, we have protected forests not with force, but with partnership. This is sacred work. This is our duty to the generations ahead,” the Chief Minister affirmed.
In a parallel drive toward urban transformation, the Chief Minister formally unveiled Mission Clean Shillong 2027, a city-wide campaign aligned with the National Games 2027, aimed at making Shillong one of India’s cleanest cities. He emphasised that the mission's success hinges on widespread citizen involvement—from students and youth leaders to local institutions and traditional heads.
He appealed to everyone to emulate practices from countries like Japan, where citizens carry their own waste until proper disposal, saying, “If every Meghalayan decides not to throw garbage on the road, the need for government action will drastically reduce.”
The Chief Minister reiterated that the “cleanest river” and the “cleanest village” accolades should now be matched with the “cleanest city”—a vision driven by participatory action, not top-down orders. UNI RRK SSP
Tags: #Meghalaya CM calls for public participation# personal accountability in environmental conservation
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