SHILLONG: The state government will hold a series of consultations with the Law department before asking the district councils to handle their own building rules.
Earlier on Thursday, the government decided to withdraw MUDA Building Bylaws from the scheduled areas of the state.
Urban Affairs Minister Hamlet Dohling said that the decision was taken in a meeting between the Urban Affairs department, CEMs of the three autonomous district councils along with the headmen.
Asserting that the government wants to solve the issue for once and for all, Dohling added that the notification of 1989 which extends building by laws in the entire state will be withdrawn and the bylaws will be made applicable only in Municipal areas.
He, however, said before the government withdraws the notification, the three district councils – KHADC, JHADC and GHADC – should constitute some agency which would look after the building of houses since the government cannot leave a vacuum and people constructing their houses must follow certain guidelines and rules.
Asserting that the KHADC has already prepared a draft building bylaw, he said that the government has asked all the three district councils to come up with the building bylaws which will be studied by the government and accordingly, it will be notified.
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said within one month, they will have to come up with the building rules.
The rules will have to be similar to MUDA building rules which are the same as central laws.
An official source said the Law department will be consulted before arriving at any conclusion on the matter.
The Meghalaya government on January 13, 1989, as per sub-section(2) of Section 1 of the Meghalaya Town and Country Planning Act(Assam Town and Country Planning Act, 1959 (Assam Act 2 of 1960) as adapted and amended in 1973, brought into force the Act in all the areas of the state.
MUDA enforced the Meghalaya Building Bylaws, 2001 for regulating construction and maintenance of buildings and was applicable to all urban areas within the state.
Subsequently, the revised Meghalaya Building Bylaws, 2011 was enforced and published in the official gazette of Meghalaya through a notification on July 21, 2011, and it extends to all master plan areas and scheme areas notified and to be notified from time to time.
