SHILLONG: The Working Group III, Meghalaya State Planning Board, held a meeting in the city on Thursday to discuss MUDA building rules in Sixth Schedule Areas. The meeting was a follow-up on the discussions that took place during the High Level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, with the Synjuk Rangbah Shnong, and the KHADC.
During the meeting, co-chairman, John F. Kharshiing was informed that the State Government will shortly communicate to all autonomous district councils to constitute and notify their respective Town Committees as per United Khasi & JHADC Town Committee Act 1962 under the ADCs who are mandated to regulate construction of houses and to forward a copy of their draft bye laws if any to the state government so as to incorporate both objectives into one.
The State Planning Board has also suggested that in view of the shortage of officials to provide architectural and professional services in the rural areas, the State Government may consider allowing the present Government servants who are qualified civil engineers serving in the many departments, in addition to their present duties, to also assist in the preparation of drawings, designs, for construction of buildings , so as to easy the problem for the people especially in the rural areas.
The officers of the Block Development Officers may also be considered for assisting the Town Committees under the KHADC.
The State Planning Board has requested the officials of the three ADCs to urgently expedite the process of constitution of the Town Committees so as to forward the names to the Government for empowering the respective town committees as per section 2 (i) of the Meghalaya Town & Country Planning Act 1973 which allows the Government to empower the Local or Regional Authority to assist in the administration of the Act.
The Co-Chairman, also requested the ADCs to translate the the united Khasi & Jaintia Hills District (Establishment of Town Committee) Act and Rules 1962 into the local language so as to enable the people and the village headmen in the rural areas to understand the very objectives, duties and functions of the Town Committees under the Sixth Schedule areas.
The Co-Chairman, appreciated the efforts of the State Government, the Autonomous District Councils and the Synjuk Rangbah Shnong for having come to an understanding, as there was urgent need for all the people of the state to decide whether the community should continue to live in an unplanned manner.
The State Planning Board also recommended to the State Government to re-constitute the Committee on traditional institutions with members from all ADCs and other stake holders so as to expedite setting up of a system of governance with the traditional institutions as catalyst.
