SHILLONG, Feb 10: Yielding to pressure, especially from the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council.
The state government has decided to “slightly” modify the Meghalaya Building Bye-Laws, 2021, to pave way for the autonomous district councils (ADCs) to issue building permission within their respective jurisdiction.
Urban Affairs Minister, Sniawbhalang Dhar on Thursday said the government will need to bring in a slight modification to the Meghalaya Building Bye-Laws, 2021 to give authority to the ADCs to issue building permissions.
“We are in the process of modifying the Building Bye-Laws. I don’t think this should be a problem since it is a collective responsibility of both the state government and ADCs,” Dhar said, marking a change in the state government’s previous stand.
He, however, made it clear that the government will not hold any meeting with the ADCs to discuss the matter.
“We have already sorted out what is required to be done,” the minister added.
Earlier, KHADC Executive Member in-charge of Building Bye-Laws, Paul Lyngdoh had stated that the government should amend the Act to recognise the ADCs as one of the authorities to issue the building permission.
“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 the jurisdiction of the Meghalaya Urban Development Authority.
“We can also adopt the bye-laws formulated by the state government,” the KHADC EM had said.
