SHILLONG, Jan 30: Urban Affairs Minister, Sniawbhalang Dhar is likely to convene another meeting with the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) to discuss the ongoing conflict with regard to granting of building permission in areas outside the jurisdiction of the Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
“There will be another meeting with the ADCs to deliberate on this matter. A decision was taken in the previous meeting to amend the Meghalaya Town Country and Planning (Amendment) Act, 2004 to recognise the three ADCs as among competent authorities to issue building permissions in areas outside the jurisdiction of MUDA,” an official source said on Sunday.
According to the source, a final decision will be taken on this matter in the next round of meeting.
Earlier, KHADC Executive Member in-charge of Building Bye-Laws, Paul Lyngdoh had stated that the government will amend the Act to recognise the ADCs as one of the (Contd on P-4)
Dhar to meet ADCs to discuss…
(Contd from P-1) authorities to issue building permissions.
“We had suggested that the state government can initially come up with an ordinance by notifying in the gazette till an amendment bill of the Meghalaya Town Country and Planning (Amendment) Act, 2004 is tabled in the Assembly,” Lyngdoh had said.
According to him, once the ADCS are recognised as competent authorities, they will have the power to legislate or formulate their own bye-laws in areas falling outside MUDA.
“We can also adopt the bye-laws formulated by the state government,” he said.
Earlier, the KHADC had rejected the Meghalaya Building Bye-Laws, 2021, notified by the Urban Affairs department, with the observation that they are against public interest.
Lyngdoh had stated there is total confusion and chaos since the state government had not incorporated whatever was agreed upon during the meeting with the Executive Members handling building bye-laws in the three ADCs.
“We had insisted that the demarcation of the scheduled areas should fall under the purview of the council. The ADCs have been mentioned only in the definition of the new bye-laws,” he had stated.