Littering Shirui peak after Lily Fest : The ugly downside
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: May 08 2018 -

Plastic waste litter Shirui Peak, TNL ground :: Pix - TSE / Mungchan Zimik

Now the downside. Shirui Lily Festival is undoubtedly a hit with the people, drawing a cross section of people all the way up to Shirui Peak which is the abode of the Shirui Lily and after which the festival has been named but judging by the mess left behind by the visitors all over the place, obviously the core message behind holding the festival has not gone down with the people at all.

A look at the pictures accompanying the story on the waste left behind by the visitors should tell its own story.

It is also the same story with the Sangai Festival as a story covered by The Sangai Express a few years back testifies.

Exposes the mindset of the people, a people who do not think twice about littering the place with waste, particularly plastics and everyone knows how bad plastics can be for the environment.

A classic example of saving, preserving and promoting the Lily on Shirui peak not having registered in the consciousness of the people at all. This is a shame.

Maybe it would be a good idea for the Government and the others behind organising the festival to first start a sensitisation programme and come out with tough laws, such as pinning the violators with tough jail sentence for littering the place which is home to the Lily.

A hefty fine is another point that may be looked into.

Round up anyone found littering the place, dumping their waste and then impose a hefty penalty, running into thousands of rupees and in some cases take them to Court and let them cool their heels behind bars for some time.

This is the only way to drill some sense into the heads of these selfish, uncouth elements, who cannot think beyond their personal space.

Reducing a festival named after the State flower to an exercise in defiling the place and nothing can be more tragic than this.

A classic example of the people just not knowing how to celebrate and enjoy nature. Or refusing to learn how to enjoy nature in a festival.

A tragedy it is that a festival held in the name of the State flower should end up in littering the place with no one bothered at all.

As things stand today, it is not the district administration of Ukhrul which has got into the act of clearing the garbage left behind by the picnickers at Shirui peak but a youth organisation of Shirui village.

Just like a case of organise a picnic, enjoy to the hilt and then leave the place scattered with waste and plastics with no one caring a hoot.

It is the same case with TNL ground at Ukhrul which formed another important centre for the Shirui Lily Festival.

The Government must take note of the waste left behind by the picnickers at the Shirui Lily Festival.

In a few days time from now, the Lily will start blooming at its abode atop Shirui peak, and to be sure many will line up to see the flower in its natural abode.

Most likely a similar script will unfold after the Lily season gets over. Something has to give.

The people cannot continue to live like this.

Respect nature, develop some civic sense and realise that cleanliness and tidiness, should not be understood only in the realm of keeping one’s kitchen clean.

If this is what can happen after a festival held in the name of the State flower, one shudders to think how it must be like when a group of people from Manipur gather for anything.