Mawlynnong, Nov. 15: Villagers of Meghalaya’s “cleanest village” have turned up their noses at state capital Shillong, dubbed one of the top five dirtiest cities of the country by a recent survey. 

Mawlynnong was declared the cleanest village in Asia in 2003 by a magazine published in collaboration with the Union tourism ministry, a tag the village cherishes and maintains. Two years later, it was also declared the cleanest village in the country. 

So, it’s an irony that Meghalaya, which is home to the cleanest village, also houses one of the dirtiest cities in the country. 

It’s also little wonder that the villagers of Mawlynnong are loath to visit Shillong. 

“This village is unique. The inhabitants have been upholding personal cleanliness and that of the village for several years now,” village headman Thomlin Khongthohrem told The Telegraph.

Khongthohrem, 55, has been headman for about 15 years.

Khongthohrem said most of the inhabitants of the village, especially the elders, seldom want to travel to the state’s capital. “Our people, especially the elders, do not want to travel often to Shillong, as they cannot stand the stench that emanates from many of the areas. Many of them cannot even digest food when they are in Shillong. This is because they are so used to cleanliness,” he said.

The village, near the India-Bangladesh border in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district, has been attracting tourists from far and wide since the past 10 years. Its USP has been its exceptional cleanliness. The famous village has 93 households and around 520 citizens. 

The village uses khoh — a coarse, cone-shaped basket made of bamboo — to throw waste and efforts are made to segregate the waste. It has also put up three incinerators for burning waste material. 
Mawlynnong is unfazed with the imposition of Swachh Bharat cess at the rate of 0.5 per cent currently liable to service tax on all services which comes into effect from today. It will stick to what it has done for the past 10 years — keep the village spotless.