Residents of Vanghmun, a remote village situated at the highest peak of Jampui hill in North Tripura district, have been taking small steps to keep the village clean without expecting much from the government, and now after years, it is in the limelight and is being hailed as Tripura’s cleanliest village.

The villagers said they aim to keep working at it and make Vanghmun the cleanest village in the country.

Vanghmun was established in 1919 by Raja Bahadur Dokhuma Sailo, who was the village chief. The cleanliness drive has been on in the village since then. Vanghmun was the fifth village to be set up on Jampui hills with 20 houses and a population of 1,512 belonging to 253 families.

People from all localities in Vanghmun voluntarily come together every weekend to clean the village.

L. Muah, 57, who has been working in Vanghmun Higher Secondary School for the last 10 years, told this correspondent, “Students and teachers have to sweep the school premises before classes begin. We do this two to three times every week. We have 40 children in the primary section and eight teachers.”

On September 20 last year, Vanghmun was recognised as an open defecation-free village by the government of Tripura.

Resident C.L. Mawai, 57, said, “It is our responsibility. The youth especially take part in the cleanliness drives. We are used to it. Our village is clean because of our collective efforts. We believe that our village is the cleanest village of Tripura.”

He said members of Young Mizo Association in Vanghmun and womenfolk come together to clean the village and conduct awareness camps about the cleanliness drive.

Another resident, Lalnunsanga, 56, said outsiders who visit the village and litter it are a major problem.

“We have installed dustbins made of bamboo in each and every corner of the village but tourists don’t seem to use them. Now every household is contributing money to have the garbage disposed in a temporary place we have found. We expect the government to come forward and identify a dumping ground for us to use,” he said.

Lack of adequate drinking water is another problem in the village. Residents have started gathering rainwater for the purpose of drinking and domestic use.

“Rainwater is the only source of water here. We are facing a water crisis. We hope the government will solve our problem soon. We have also demanded for public toilets. Government officials visited Vanghmun in February and discussed how to develop the village as a tourist destination as it is known as the cleanest village of the state,” L. Ralte, 30, told The Telegraph, adding that by the end of this year the use of plastic bags will be banned in the village.

A villager even claimed no crime has ever taken place in Vanghmun village.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Sajal Debnath, former Vanghmun block development officer now serving as a deputy collector and magistrate in Teliamura of Khowai district, said people know of Mawlynnong in Shillong as the cleanest village of Asia so they thought of promoting Vanghmun as the cleanest village of India.

“I tried to get recognition for Vanghmun for its cleanliness. After discussing with higher authorities we learned that first we need to garner publicity. If no other village challenges our claim then Vanghmun may get recognition as the cleanest village. Vanghmun got selected for implementation of solid and liquid waste management. Jampui block gives out honours like swachha house award and swachha school award to encourage residents. The women of the village work hard to beautify the village by using flowers and ornamental plants on the roadside and encouraging households to grow flowers. Livestock is not allowed in the open to protect these plants,” Debnath said.

Vanghmun block development officer R. Kishore said he has never seen such a village in the state. He acknowledged the efforts of the villagers and the government.

“Hope this village will soon be recognised as the cleanest village of Tripura,” he said.