Editor,
The Meghalaya High Court had to step in to extend the MUDA Building Bye Laws beyond the Municipal area. Building bye laws are generally needed to regulate building construction. In high seismic zone areas prone to earthquakes, the size and height of the building, the structural design and the load bearing capacity of the soil are directly related to how safe the structure is. Not everyone is qualified to enforce such safety measures. It requires a statutory authority with competent and qualified technical personnel to do so. This is highly desirable because the safety and lives of the building’s occupants depend on it. The Nepal earthquake and the resultant high death toll are glaring examples of the need to have strong building bye laws to protect ourselves.
The KHADC had challenged the intrusion of MUDA Bye Laws into 6 Schedule areas. With hind sight one can say that this challenge was high on political sentiment and very low in qualitative technical input. It was clear that the KHADC had neither the technological expertise nor the manpower nor a longterm political will to enforce its building diktat. It is now clear that the challenge had more to do with projection of KHADC jurisdiction rather than ensuring the safety of buildings. It had more to do with ego struggles within the Congress party than any real desire to protect us from natural disasters. Political expediency was placed first public safety last. This was highly unacceptable. The court had to step in.
The court decision has now exposed a long held suspicion relating to the competence and credibility of the Synjuk ki Nongsynshar Shnong ka Bri U Hynniewtrep (SNSBH). The members of this organisation had openly supported the stand of the KHADC. Why is not clear. The State Government was identified as a political soft target and emotional pressure applied forcing it to withdraw its Meghalaya Building Bye Laws from 6 Schedule areas. This tactic, for obvious reasons, could not be applied on the High Court. The court in its attempt to ensure justice listened more to logic, merit and reason and found the decision on Building Bye Law withdrawal highly dangerous and detrimental to the welfare of the citizens of the state. The court allowed common sense to prevail over emotional nonsense. Safety of the citizen came first, political chamchagiri last. The point under consideration is why couldn’t the (SNSBH) have done the same? Is the future of the KHADC more important than our lives? Why play politics with our safety? Point is, are all other decisions of the SNSBH also devoid of any serious thinking process? We need to know.
Yours etc.,
B Nongrum,
Via email
MeECL’s continued default
Editor,
It has become a regular feature for the MeECL to shut down power for 25 minutes to one hour in Mawlai, Mawroh. I fail to understand why this is happening when there is no wind, rain or storm. The usual reply from the station attendant at Polo is that it is due to overloading of the transformer. And why not? The same transformer used ten years ago when I was a resident of Umsohkhlur, Mawroh and when there were only a few houses is still catering to the hundreds of homes today. This is the same story in other localities, sub-localities in Shillong. It seems that Shillongites are comfortable with the recurring shutdowns even with the cold winter this year. I do not know how to appeal to the MeECL engineers or which is the higher court of appeal on this issue.Please do your homework and assess the strength of the existing transformers considering the number of households have increased ten-fold and so too the usage of electricity at present. I never fail to pay the bill on time so you have no right to deprive us the consumers of the right to uninterrupted electricity.
Yours etc.,
R N Rymbai,
Shillong – 22