Cantonment Board clears air on building permit

SHILLONG: The Shillong Cantonment Board (SCB) it has not stopped issuing permission for construction of buildings in its jurisdiction, said its CEO Vishwas Soha.
Speaking to The Shillong Times, Soha said the Board is issuing permissions provided the lease holders have no record of encroachment or illegal construction.
“We are issuing permissions but the lease holders should not have any record of encroachment and illegal construction,” he said, adding it was a misconception that the Board had stopped issuing permissions for construction of buildings in the Cantonment area.
Last year, the Shillong Cantonment Lease Holders’ Association had written to the MLA of Shillong South, Sanbor Shullai, alleging that the Board had not framed building bye laws having sufficient relaxation in floor space index limit causing problem for the residents of the Cantonment.
Shullai had sought the intervention of Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in solving the problem.
In a letter addressed to the Union Defence Minister, Shullai had said the Meghalaya Building Bye Law has been framed with Floor Area Ratio whereas the bye laws of the Cantonment Board were framed with Floor Space Index, causing difficulty for the residents.
The High Court of Meghalaya has ordered personal presence of the Defence Estate Officer, Guwahati Circle, in the Court on February 8 with complete information on the matter of framing of uniform building bye laws and for relaxation in floor space index limit.
The Shillong Cantonment Lease Holders’ Association is seeking directions against the Cantonment Board for framing of uniform building bye laws and for relaxation in floor space index limit.